IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


*/ .4\ 


c^j* 


^^4^ 


J 


^ 


<^ 


^ 


1.0 


1.1 


11.25 


E  lU  ^^ 

S  Its   |2j0 

Hluu 

U    11.6 


Hiotographic 

Sciences 

Corporalion 


23  WBT  MAIN  STRUT 

WIBSTU.N.Y.  M5M 

(716)  172-4303 


0 

4^ 


mg 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVi/iCMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historicai  IMicroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microraproductions  historiquas 


Taehnioal  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notas  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquas 


Th 
to 


Tha  Instltuta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia'  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibllogrophioally  unlqua. 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignifioantly  ehanga 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  ohaokad  balow. 


□   Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~1   Covara  damagad/ 


□ 


D 


n 


Couvartura  andommagAa 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raatauria  at/ou  pallieuMa 

Covar  titia  miaaing/ 

La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

Colourad  mapa/ 

Cartaa  giographiquaa  an  coulaur 


□   Colourad  ink  (i.a,  othar  than  blua  or  black)/ 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 

I     I   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
Rail*  avac  d'autraa  documanta 


Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarior  margin/ 

La  r«  liura  aarrta  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  IntAriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibia,  thasa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartainaa  pagaa  bianchaa  ajouttea 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  cala  itait  poaaibia.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  «ti  fiimAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  aupplAmantairaa.- 


L'Inatitut  a  microf  ilma  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  ixi  poaaibia  da  aa  procurer.  Laa  details 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua.  qui  pauvant  modif  iar 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  nor  mala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiqute  ci-daaaoua. 


|~~|   Colourad  pagaa/ 


v/ 


D 


Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damagad/ 
Pagaa  andommagiaa 


□   Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Pagaa  raataurAaa  at/ou  palliculAaa 


Th 
po 
of 
fill 


Or 
bo 
th( 
aio 
oti 
fir 
aio 
or 


Pagaa  diacolourad.  stalnad  or  foxed/ 
Pagaa  dicolorAas,  tachatiaa  ou  piquies 


I     I   Pagaa  datachad/ 


Pagaa  ditachias 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparanca 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  Intgala  da  I'impraaaion 

Includaa  aupplemantary  matarii 
Comprand  du  material  auppl^mantalra 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponible 


rTj  Showthrough/ 

r^  Quality  of  print  variaa/ 

n~|  includaa  aupplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


Th( 
ahi 
Tir 
wh 

Ma 
difl 
anti 
bag 
rigr 
raqi 
mai 


Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacured  by  errata 
slipa,  tisauaa,  etc.,  have  been  refllmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiliet  d'errata.  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fiimies  A  nouveau  da  faqon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  fiimA  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


V 


12X 


16X 


aox 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  f llmMl  Imt*  has  bMn  raproduocd  tiNinkt 
to  th*  g«n«roslty  of: 

DouglM  Library 
QuMn't  Un!v«rsity 


L'wtmptalro  fllm4  f  ut  roproduit  grico  i  la 
gAnAroaM  da: 

Douglas  Library 
Quaan't  Univarsity 


Tha  imagaa  appaaring  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posalbia  consMarlng  tha  condition  and  laglblllty 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  apaciflcatlona. 


Original  capias  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
baglnning  with  tha  front  covar  and  anding  on 
tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impraa* 
slon,  or  tha  back  covar  whan  approprlata.  All 
othar  original  copies  ara  fllmad  baglnning  on  tha 
first  paga  with  a  printad  or  illustratad  impraa* 
slon,  and  anding  on  tha  laat  paga  with  a  printad 
or  illustratad  imprassion. 


Tha  last  racordad  frama  on  aach  microfioha 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  -^  (rnaaning  "CON- 
TINUED"),  or  tha  symbol  y  (maaning  "END"), 
whichavar  applias. 


Laa  Imagaa  suhrantas  ont  At*  raproduitas  avac  la 
plua  grand  aoln,  compta  tanu  da  la  condhion  at 
da  ki  nattatA  da  I'axamplaira  film*,  at  an 
eonformit*  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
fllmaga. 

Laa  axamplairas  origlnaux  dont  la  couvartura  an 
paplar  aat  ImprlmAa  sont  fiimAs  an  commandant 
par  la  pramlar  plat  at  an  tarminant  soit  par  la 
darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Impraaalon  ou  d'llluatration,  soit  par  la  sacond 
plit.  talon  la  oaa.  Toua  laa  autras  axamplairas 
origlnaux  sont  filmte  an  comman9ant  par  la 
pramlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  amprainta 
d'Impraaalon  ou  d'illustratlon  at  an  tarminant  par 
la  darnlAra  paga  qui  comporta  una  talla 
amprainta. 

Un  daa  symbolas  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAra  Imaga  da  chaqua  microficha,  salon  la 
cat:  la  tymbola  -^  signif la  "A  SUIVRE",  la 
tymbola  ▼  signifia  "FIN". 


Maps,  platas,  charts,  ate.  may  ba  fllmad  at 
diffarant  raduction  ratios.  Thosa  too  larga  to  ba 
antiraly  included  In  ona  axposura  ara  fllmad 
beginning  in  tha  uppar  laft  hand  comar.  laft  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  aa  many  framaa  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  tha 
method: 


Let  eartat,  planches,  tebleaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
fllmAa  A  das  taux  da  rAduction  diff Arents. 
Lertqua  la  document  est  trop  grsnd  pour  Atre 
raprodult  an  un  seul  clichA,  il  est  f limA  A  partir 
da  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
at  da  haut  an  bes,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'Imagat  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrsmmes  suivants 
llluttrant  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1  2  3 

4  6  6 


■*t,  ♦. 


"It    *  ♦ 


4i  4 


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...  V 


Xti 


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V       ••  • 


GUIDE   TQtlTEAJ&T 


Ir 


A  COttPLETE  SYSTEM  QW 


ft'^ll^S!^ 


OH  A  n<AK  ENTIRSIiPllSW  : 

WITH  A  DESCRIPTION  Of  THE  VEGETABLES  MADE 
USE  OF,  AMO  pfKKCTIpNS  FOBt  FkEPARIfifO  ANp 
ADMINISTERING  THEM,  TO  CURE;  DISEASE, 

to  WBIOB  IB   rMFUMS,       , 
OF  THE 

LIFE  AlfD  MEDICAL  DISCOVERIES 

OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


i 


w 


BOSTON: 

Printed  for  the  Author,  and  sold  by  hit  General  A|ent|  at 

the  Office  of  the  Boston  InTcatigator. 

J»  Q.  AoAm,  Printer. 

1835. 


Ry^rr 


•  ^ 


«    '^ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year 
18S5,  by  Samuxl  ThomsoN|  in  the  Clerk's  Office  of 
the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


r^i*KS   ^fi^  •  I  ^•'^' ■"■■•■  UP  I  H'^.ta 


.yi'^  rrt'SMfi.^  "TS 


w 


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't 


4 


JLDVBBVlIBBrairT. 


The  preparing  the  fcdloiring  work  for  the  press,  has 
been  a  task  of  much  difficulty  and  labor,  for  to  com- 
prise in  a  short  compass,  and  to  convey  a  correct  under- 
standing of  the  subject,  from  such  a  mass  of  materials 
as  I  have  been  enabled  to  collect,  by  thirty  years  prac- 
tice, is  a  business  of  no  small  magnitude.  The  plan 
that  has  been  adoptied  I  thought  the  best  to  give  a  cor- 
rect knowledge  of  my  system  of  practice ;  and  am  con- 
fident that  the  descriptions  and  directions  are  sufficiently 
explained  to  be  understood  by  all  those  who  tajie  an 
interest  in  this  important  subject.  Much  more  might 
have  been  written;  but  the  main  object  has  been  to 
confine  it  to  the  practice,  and  nothing  more  is  stated  of 
the  theory  than-  what  was  necessary  to  give  a  general 
knowledge  of  the  system.  If  any  errors  should  be  dis- 
covered, it  is  hoped  that  they  will  be  viewed  with  can- 
dor; for  in  first  publishing  a  work,  such  things  are  to  be 
expected ;  but  much  care  has  been  taken  that  there  should 
be  no  error,  which  would  cause  any  mistake  in  the  prac- 
tice, or  preparing  the  medicine. 


10<JIQ01^ 


i 


4    ■  IJgjHERTlSEMENT.  ^ 

Many  peraoiui  are  practising  by  my  system,  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  pretonding  Aat  they  have  made  great  im- 
provements, and  in  some  instances  it  is  well  known  that 
poisgAous  drugs  have  heett  mado  use  of  under  the  name 
of^y  medicine,  which  has 'Counteracted  its  operation, 
and  thereby  tended  to  destroy  the  confidence  of  the  pub- 
lic hi  my  system  of  practice;  this  has  never  been*  author- 
ized by. me.  The  public  are  therefore  cautioned  agunst 
such  conduct,  and  %U  those  who  are  well  disposeor to- 
wards my  system,  are  desired  to  lend  their  aid  in  expos- 
ing aU  suQJIfPiphonest  practices,  in  order  that  justice  may 
be  do^  ThoM  who  possess  this  work,  may,  by  exam- 
ining it,  be  able  to  detect  any  improper  deviations  therq.- 
from;  and  they  ajre  assured  that  any  practice  which  is 
not  conformable  to  the  directions  given,  and  does  not 
agree  with  the  principles  herein  laid  down,  is  unauthor- 
ised by  me. 


N.  B.  The  work  has  undergone  several  revisions,  aa 
well  as  passed  through  several  editions,  since  it  was  first 
liublished;  but  as  the  copy-right  has  been  now  renewed, 
(in  1835,)  the  number  of  the  former  editions  is  not  re- 
garded. 


9BS7A0B; 


'WRITTBN  BT   A  VRIBWD. 


There  is  no  subject  in  wbjich  th««reat  fiSj^fly  of  maa- 
kind  have  a  dee{>er  interest,  than  that  of  meoitiiiM;  to 
lessen  the  sum  of  human  suffering  by  alleviating  poui» 
and  removing'  those  diseases  that  all  are  subject  to,  is  • 
duty  of  the  greatest  importance  of  any  undertaking  thai 
man  can  engage  in.  Health  is  the  greatest  blessing 
that  can  be  enjoyed  in  this  life;  and  tu  be  dejjiiriTed  of 
it,  takes  away  all  our  pleasures  and  comforts,  and  makes 
every  thing  in  this  world  appear  a  dreary  waste.  Thia 
will  readily  be  admitted  by  every  one;  but  in  what  maiH 
ner  disorder  can  best  be  removed  or  prevented,  is  a  sub* 
ject  that  has  engaged  the  attention  of  many  wise  mea^ 
who  have  existed  m  different  ages,  from  the  earliest 
times  to  the  present  day,  without,  as  we  humbly  con- 
ceive, very  much  benefitting  mankind  by  their  labors. 
Their  inquiries,  it  would  seem,  have  been  directed  to 
the  investigation  of  visionary  theories,  of  the  form  and 
curious  construction  of  the  body  and  members,  up<m 
mechanical  principles;  to  the  neglect  of  what  is  oiT  the 
greatest  importance,  a  correct  and  useful  practice  by<a 
direct  application  to  the  cause  of  disease.  This  ia|||U} 
pursuing  a  shadow,  and  losing  sight  of  the  substaiobe; 
for  there  are  certain  causes  and  effects  in  the  works  of 
creation,  that  are  beyond  the  comprehension  of  man,  and 
the  general  principles  of  animated  nature  are  as  correct- 
ly knoMrn  by  the  whole  human  family,  as  by  the  most 
wise  and  learned. 

In  the  different  sges  of  the  world,  the  medical  faculty 
have  been  very  prolific  in  forming  systems  of  the  theory 
and  practice  of  medicine.    One  man  builds  up  a  system 


6 


PREPACB. 


for  another  that  comes  after  him,  li>  pull  down,  who 
erects  one  of  his  own,  which  is  followeo  for  a  time,  and 
is  then  supplanted  by  another.  They  have  gone  on  in 
this  way,  almost  every  age  producing  a  new  system,  to 
the  present  time ;  each  one  pronounces  the  other  to  be 
wrongs  they  certainly  cannot  all  be  right,  and  the  most 
natural  conclusion  is,  that  they  are  all  wrong;  for  no 
good  has  resulted  from  all  they  have  done,  but  on  the 
contrary,  it  has  tended  to  produce  much  confusion  and 
doubt,  in  the  minds  of  all  who  seek  to  gajn  a  correct 
JuK>wledge  of  the  subject.  The  best  evidence  of  this, 
.^  Ihe  bad  J||ccess  that  has  attended  the  regular  faculty 
4n  all  theif^ptactice,  for  they,  do  npt  pretend  to  a  knowl- 
edgli>«r  •  certain  remedy  for  any  ease  of  disease;  and 
it  li  readily  admitted  by  the  most  distingaiahed  men  in 
the  profession,  that  there  is  no  art  or  science,  so  little 
ttpdei^tood  and  miserably  conducted,  as  that  of  medi- 
fine.' 

Tbi^vay  to  become  a  fashionable  doctor  at  the  present 
day,ri«  to  spend  three  or  four  years  in  what  they  call 
reading  physic,  when  they  receive  a  degree  and  a  di- 
ploma from  some  medical  society.  This  time  is  spent 
m  learning  the  Latin  names  of  the  different  preparations 
of  medicine,  according  to  the  plan  adopted  by  the  fac** 
ulty,  as  also  of  the  different  parts  of  the  human  body, 
with  the  names,  colors  and  symptoms  of  all  kinds  of 
.disease,  divided  and  subdivided  into  as  many  classes  and 
forms  as  language  can  be  found  to  express;  and  suffi- 
olent  knowledge  of  the  nature  of  medicine  to  know  how 
much  poison  can  be  given  without  causing  immediate 
^ejMth.  With  these  qualifications  and  a  little  self-impor- 
jtance,  they  commence  their  medical  career,  as  ignorant 
4if  what  is  really  useful  in  curing  disease,  as  though  they 
JHkd  been  shut  up  in  a  cloister  all  the  time.  Their  heads 
V  are  filled  with  the  theory,  but  all  that  is  most  important 
in  the  removal  of  disorder,  they  have  to  learn  by  prac- 
tice, which  can  never  be  learned  in  any  other  way. 
Those  patients  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  come  under 
their  care,  become  subjects  for  them  to  learn  upon,  and 
have  t6  suffer  from  their  experiments.  After  pursuing 
this  course  for  many  years,  they  begin  to  learn  that  their 
practice  has  been  wrong;  and  it  is  a  fact  well  known. 


PREFACE;  7 

* 

that  all  our  old  ksM  most  experienced  physiciani,  who 
have  become  distinguished  in  the  profession,  make  use 
of  but  very  little  medicine,  prescnning  principally  sim- 
ples, with  directions  how  they  may  cure  themselves;  the 
greater  part  of  their  patients  are  such  as  have  been  run 
down,  and  had  their  constitutions  destroyed  by  the  im- 
proper treatment  they  have  received  from  the  young  and 
inexperienced  part  of  the  faculty. 

This  picture  may  be  considered  by  some  as  highly 
colored ;  but  if  prejudice  is  laid  aside,  and  viewed  with 
candor,  It  will  be  found  not  to  be  far  from  the  truth. 
There  are,  no  doubt,  many  exceptions  amoQg  the  prac- 
tising physicians;  but  their  manner  of  treeting  disease 
by  bleeding  and  bliiteriiig,  and  administering  mercury, 
arsenic,  nitre,  antimony,  opium,  &c.  is  directly  opposed 
to  nature,  and  cannpt  be  justi^ed  by  any  principles 
founded  on  natural  causes  and  effects.  Another  serious 
difficulty  exists,  which  is,  that  the  people  are  kept  ig- 
norant of  every  thing  of  importance  in  medicine,  by 
its  being  kept  m  a  dead  language,  for  which  there  can 
be  no  good  reason  given.  Dr.  Buchan  has  made  some 
very  good  remarks  on  this  subject  to  show  the  impro- 
priety of  such  a  practice,  and  gives  it  as  his  opinion, 
that  if  physicians  would  write  their  prescriptions  in  the 
language  of  our  country,  and  lay  medicine  more  open 
to  the  people,  much  good  would  result  from  it.  In  the 
new  Pharmacopoeia,  got  up  lately  by  the  medical  socie- 
ties in  this  country,  an  entire  new  arrangement  is  made, 
and  new  names  adopted,  which  is  to  be  revised  every 
ten  years.  This  will  completely  keep  the  people  in  ig- 
norance of  the  medicine  they  use,  when  prescribed  by 
the  faculty. 

There  cannot  be  the  least'  doubt  but  there  is  medi- 
cine enough  grows  in  our  country,  to  answer  all  the 
purposes  necessary  in  curing  every  disease  incident  to 
the  climate,  if  tl\e  people  had  a  knowledge  of  it;  but 
the  doctors  have  so  much  influence  in  society,  and  man- 
age their  affairs  with  so  much  art,  for  their  own  profit 
and  praise,  that  the  common  people  are  kept  back  from 
a  knowledge  of  what  is  of  the  utmost  importance  for 
them  to  know.  If  any  man  undertakes  to  pursue  a 
practice  differing  from  what  is  sanctioned  by  the  regular 


I  - 


f  PRBFACB. 

faculty,  lot  him  ■how  ever  to  much  tbgenuifj  in  his  di»- 
eoverief,  or  be  evisMo  succeMful  in  curing  diieaM,  ha 
it  hunted  down  Uk*a  wild  beast;  and  a  hue  and  crjr 
raised  i^gunst  him  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the 
other.  There  must-  be  some  reason  for  all  this,  more 
than  an  aim  to  the  public  good;  for  the  people  are 
certainly  capable  of  judging  for  themselves,  whether 
what  is  done  for  them,  removes  their  complaint,  or  in- 
creases it.  It  is  not  unreasonable,  we  think,  to  con- 
clude, that  it  arises  from  a  fear  that  the  cfaft  is  in 
danger. 
Nothing  could  more  fully  exemplify  the  above  opinion 
>  than  the  tteatment  which  Dr.  Thomson  has  received 

frooi  Uie  medical  faculty,  daring  ttia  whole  of  his  prac- 
tice. He  has  been  {persecuted  and  pursued  with  all  the 
malice  of  demons,  for.no  other  cause  that  can  be  im- 
agined, than  because  of  his  extraordinary  success  in 
curing  disease,  which  has  tended  to  enlighten  the  peo- 
ple, and  do  away  their  blind  confidence  in  the  infallibil- 
ity of  doctors.  This  opposition  has  not  been  from  the 
people  at  large,  for  all  who  have  been  attended  by  him, 
and  those  who  have  had  a  correct  knowledge  of  his  sys- 
tem of  practice,  are  not  only  well  satisfied,  but  are  tho- 
roughly convinced  of  its  superiority  over  the  practice  of 
the  doctors;  and  some  of  the  faculty  who  have  examined 
the  subject,  allow  the  discovery  to  be  oriffinal  and  inge- 
nioiis,  and  that  the  principles  upon  whicn  it  is  founded, 
are  correct.  If  the  physicians  generally  had,  instead  of 
trying  to  destroy  him  and  his  practice,  inquired  into  and 
made  themselves  acquainted  with  his  improvements,  and 
treated  him  with  that  courtesy  due  to  every  ingenious 
man,  who  devotes  himself  to  the  advancement  of  the  arts 
and  sciences,  they  would  have  received  much  useful  in- 
formation on  one  of  the  most  important  branchep  of  the 
medical  art,  that  is,  of  the  medicinal  virtues  of  the  vege- 
tables of  this  country,  with  the  best  method  of  prepanng 
and  administering  them  to  cure  disease;  but  they  seem 
to  consider  every  thing  relating  to  the  subject  as  a  sort 
of  holy  ground,  on  which  no  one  has  a  right  to  tread, 
but  the  regularly  initiated. 

Dr.  Thomson  began  his  practice  as  it  were  from  ac- 
cident, with  no  other  view  than  an  honest  endeavor  to 


be 


be  uMful  to  his  f«0ow  creatures;  and  had  nothins  to 
guide  him  but  his  own  experience.  He  not  having  nad 
an  education,  has  received  no  advantages  from  reading 
books,  which  1^^  h>*  mind  unshackled  by  the  visionary 
theories  and  opinions  of  others;  his  whoie  studies  hava 
beefi  in  the  great  book  of  nature,  and  his  conclusions 
have  all  been  drawn  from  that  unerring  guide;  by  this 
he  was  enabled  to  form  correct  opinions  m  the  fitness  of 
things.  His  first  inquiry  was  to  know  of  what  all  animal 
bodies  w|re  formed,  and  then  to  ascertain  what  caused 
disease.  After  being  satisfied  on  this  head,  the  next 
thing  was  to  find  what  medicine  was  the  best  calculated 
to  remove  disease  and  jrostofe  health*  Foir  libis  ho  look* 
ed  into  the  vegotabla  kingOMi,  where  he  found  a  !«]{• 
field  for  contemplation,  and  for  the  exercise  of  his  iih 
quiring  inind.  Here,  by  an  invention  of  his  own,  that 
of  ascertaining  the  qualities  and  power  of  vegetables  by 
their  taste,  he  was  enabled  at  all  times  to  find  something 
to  answer  the  desired  purpose;  his  apoUiecary's  shop 
was  the  woods  and  the  fields. 

In  his  practice,  it  has  always  beeft  his  first  obyect  to 
learn  the  course  pointed  out  by  nature,  and  has  followed 
by  administering  those  things  best  caleuli^ed  to  aid  her 
in  restoring  health.  This  is  unquestionably  the  only  cor* 
rect  course  that  can  be  pursued  with  any  chance  of  sue* 
cess,  for  all  the  good  that  can  be  expected  by  giving 
medicine,  is  to  assist  nature  to  remove  the  disease.  Tm 
success  with  which  his  practice  has  been  attended,  has 
astonished  all  who  witnessed  it,  and  has  led  the  people 
to  wonder  how  a  man  without  learning  could  perform 
what  could  not  be  done  by  the  learned  doctors;  this  is 
not  strange,  for  people  most  generally  form  their  opin- 
ions by  what  is  fashionable,  without  examining  into  the 
nature  of  things.  .  A  man  can  be  great  without  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  education ;  but  learning  can  never  make 
a  wise  man  of  a  fool;  the  practice  of  physic  requires  a 
knowledge  that  cannot  be  got  by  reading  books;  it  must 
be  obtained  by  actual  observation  and  experience. 

It  is  very  common  with  the  doctors,  to  call  all  those 
who  practise,  and  have  not  been  regularly  educated  to 
the  profession,  quacks,  and  empirics.    The  definition  of 


10 


PRivxes. 


the  word  quack,  is  an  igttorant  pretefllder;  and  thoae  who 
aire  entiiled  to  this  appellation,  are  beat  known  by  the 
knowledge  they  posMM  in  thehr  profession,  and  the  suc- 
cess with  which  they  pursue  it;  and  there  may  be  pro- 
baA>ly  more  igiwrant  pretenders  found  among  those  who 
have  received  a  diploma,  than  in  any  other  class.  An 
empiric  is  one  who  is  governed  in  his  practice  by  his  own 
experimental  knowledge;  and  Dr.  Thomson  can  have^no 
reasonable  objection  to  be  honored  by  this  title,  for  ihere 
is  nothing  valuable  in  the  wh<4e  range  of  tl^.  medicd 
science,  but  what  has  been  derived  from  this  source.  In 
ancient  titoj^r  the  man  who  could  discover  any  thing  that 

EroveA  td""!^  usefal  in  eu^p  4M|^<m<>)  was  entitled  to 
flflK»id>le  notice,  ind  ai^^lrd^l  his  ingenuity,  with- 
out,regarding  whether  he  was  learnisdl  on&earned.  In 
this  way,  the  facultjrhave  obtained  all  their  t^owledge 
of  vegetable  medicine,  and  if  they  had  confined  theaw 
•elves  to  this,  it  would  have  been  much  better  for  the 
people,  than  to  make  use  pf  those  poisonous  minerals, 
which  have  been  th*  production  of  the  learned,  and  is 
the  only  addition  tiny  have  been  able  to  make  to  the 
Materia  Mediea. 

In  the  following  work.  Dr.  Thomson  has  endeavored 
to  embody  in  a  sSall  compass,  and  to  convey  to  the  pub- 
lie,  in  as  plain  and  simple  terms  as  he  was  capable,  a 
correct  knowledge  of  his  system  of  practice,  with  his 
manner  of  treating  disease,  together  with  a  description 
of  all  the  vegetable  productions  of  our  own  country  that 
he  has  found  to  be  useful  in  curing  disorder,  and  the 
best  manner  of  preparing  and  administering  them.  It 
will  be  found  of  the  ^eatest  importance  to  the  people; 
bein^  the  result  of  thirty  years  constant  practice,  in  at- 
tending on  all  kinds  of  disease  common  in  this  country. 
It  offers  to  the  public  an  opportunity  to  make  themselves 
sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  subject,  to  enable  every 
one  who  avails  himself  of  it,  to  become  his  own  physician, 
with  a  trifling  expense. 

To  introduce  a  new  system  of  medical  practice,  and 
to  make  an  entire  change  of  the  public  opinion,  on  so 
important  a  subject,  is  an  undertaking  of  too  great  mag- 
nitude to  be  effected  without  much  difficulty;  let  its 
superiority  over  all  others  be  ever  so  great;  for  who- 


PBBTAOI. 


U 


ever  undertake!  il,  must  expect  to  have  to  contend 
againit  the  interest  of  a  large  claw  of  the  community, 
and  the  prejudicee  of  tM  whole.  That  Dr.  Thomson 
has  been  able  to  effect  so  much,  is  more  surprising, 
than  that  he  has  not  done  more,  for  |gf  has  laboiad 
under  raen^  difficulties,  besides  beinjg  opposed  by  a  pow* 
erful  combmation,  whose  interest  it  is  to  keep  the  peo|)|le 
back  from  adopting  his  practice.  He  has  been  obliged 
to  satisfy  the  people  of  what  is  for  their  interest,  as  well 
as  for  their '  peace  and  happiness,  against  their  own  in- 
clinations; and  has  pursued  his  own  plan  with  wonder- 
ful perseverance,  and  with  an  honest  and  jij^termined 
zeal,  to  do  what  he  thoug||t^to  be  %is  duty.  He  peeme 
to  have  had  in  view  moire  til/f  ublic  good  than  hie  ojfu, 
interest,  for  his  whole  plan  has  been  to  give  information 
to.  the  people,  as  well  as  to  relieve  them  from  disease; 
anid  to  put  it  in  their  power  to  cure  themselves  and  fanh 
ilies  in  all  cases  of  sickness,  without  bein^  under  the 
necessity  of  employing  a  doctor.  In  pursumg  this  ob- 
ject, he  has  spent  the  best  part  of  his  days,  and  has  re- 
ceived but  very  small  compensation  for  all  his  labors; 
Uie  pecuniary  benefit  that  he  has  realised  for  his  practice 
and  rights  sold,  would  be  no  temptation  to  any  ono  to  un- 
dergo the  hundredth  part  of  what  he  has  suffered  from 
persecution. 

Notwithstandinff  all  the  difficulties  Dr.  Thomson  has 
met  with,  and  all  the  opposition  he  has  had  to  contend 

aainst,  his  system  is  made  use  of  by  the  people  gener- 
y,  in  many  places,  and  it  is  fast  spreading  in  all  parte 
of  the  United  States.  Wherever  the  people  become  ac- 
quainted with  it  they  universally  adopt  it,  and  consider 
it  of  the  greatest  valu^  so  much  so,  that  there  are  hun- 
dreds who  would  not  be  deprived  of  the  information  they 
have  received,  for  any  sum  of  money  whatever.  In 
several  towns,  large  societies  have  been  formed  of  those 
who  have  purchased  the  rights,  and  who  obligate  them- 
selves to  assist  each  other  in  cases  of  sickness;  where 
this  has  been  the  case,  great  benefit  has  been  derived 
and  the  success  of  the  practice  has  been  complete. 
This  seems  to  be  the  best  plan  for  introducins  a  correct 
knowledge  of  the  system  and  practice  among  the  people^ 
Mid  putting  it  in  their  power  to  derive  the  most  advaa- 


ijfV- 


12 


pRfepAet. 


tage  from  its  use;  and  if  a  few  of  tbosf:  fUcn  who  havo 
the  iriott  iBfltience  in  toclo^,  would  eiiunin.e  into  tho 
eahject  with  impartialitjr,  th^  i^oiild  readily  be  contioo" 
ed  of  ite  iroiienor  uselukiefia^  aad  by  taki»{|^  an  interest- 
iflHlMfusing  a  Hkowledge  <^  the  practice  among  the  peo- 
ple, they  would  confer  a  ^eat^r  benefit  on  ttinkind, 
tibatt  by  any  charitable  act  they  could  perform. 

There  has  be^n  one  creaf  obstaole  hh  the  way  of  » 
ffeileral  extension  of  h  knowledge  of  the  practice,  for 
the  want  of  some  means  to  c6nvey  correct  information 
Ikow  to  prepare  and  administer  the  medicine,  with  the 
best  mannir  of  treatment^  in  coring  disease;  and  dso  to 
nretent  m  wh*  ado|l  this  m§itm$(  practico,  froni^  being 
MMed  npon  by  fhostt  W^  i>#lMiid  to  make  use  of  it 
lAirat  a  ptd/peit  knowtedgO'  ttf  tiiei  tfikbjlMM^  for  thew 
ar«  quacks  under  this  systeih  as  w«llas  ollieitti  Ihi* 
is  obviated  by  the  following  work,  hi  which,  if  is  tUtfttght^ 
wffl  be  found  sufteient  expianitions'  and  dir^tifont  let 
enable  any  one  who  pays  striet  atfontion  to  th<iin,  to 
make  use  of  the  practice  with  sMfotf  and  ttUcM^i 


.:    .  -^Ji-  'Wt?'"'  •  ••^•<'^)'-': 


ho  faftvv 
into  Ihv 
sontine- 
iotereat- 
tb«  peo- 
linkiiid, 

my  of  ft 
tice,  for 
bfmalion 
urith  the 
ddso  to 

iisii  of  it 
ot  theM 
m    Ihii 

etiotifto 

(b^iifr,  to 

Mi' ' 


1:' 

■f 


OF    TBJC 

UW,  «e.   OV  HAKITW^  THOJIiOI. 


's   ^ 


.ifM 


THERE  ill  njoMuiig,  jMiapi.  bm^  MtiiCiit  Hia^k 
to/write  one'fii  o^inn  life;  for  in  4^u|fi(  it  We  ire  obllg|^d  to 
p«89pver  again,  as  it  were,  maiiv  icienefi  Which  we 
i^pi^nt  wish  to  have  forgotten,  and  refato  manj  putioularii 
whioh,  though  they  inay  seem  very  import^t  to  our- 
selves, yet  wojold^  be  very  uninterOiting  to  the  reader. 
It  is  not  my  untention  to  attempt  to  write  a  hiitcvy  of  my 
life,  nor  would  it  be  in  my  power  to  do  it  if  I  Am  such  i 
wish;  but  as  I  have  been  the  greater  part  »t'  my  life  en^ 
^aged  in  one  of  the  most  important  puriwiits,  and  which 
IS  of  more  consequence  to  the  ereat  Jkiiman  family,  than 
an^'  other  that  could  be  undert^^  V  man;  thi^  of  d- 
leviating  human  misery,  by  cixvi^  all  cases  of  diseaio 
by  t^e  most  simple,  safe,  and  certam  method  of  practice, 
I  think  ^he  public  will  be  jdierested  to  know  something 
of  me,  and  the  reason  of  my  having  taken  upon  myself 
so  important  a  calling,  without  being  regularly  educated 
to  the  profession,  whitfh  is  thought  by  the  world  to  be  in- 
dispensably necessary^  but  I  sball  take  the  liberty  to 
disagree  a  little  wit^«Aem  in  thia  particular ;  for,  although 
learning  may  be  rgreat  advantage  in  acquiring  a  pro- 
fession, yet  th*<^  Alone  will  never  make  a  great 'man, 
where  there  V  no  neural  gift. 

By  givii^  a  short  sketch  of  the  early  part  of  my  exiitr 
ence,  and  relating  those  accidental  circumftancei  thai 
have  occurred  durmg  my  life,  and  which  were  prioci^ 
pally  the  cause  of  my.  engaging  m  ths  h^aliog  art.  i^ 
enable  the  public  to  judge  more  correctly,  whetbdr  I 
2 


14 


^arratitte'of  ike  lAftt  Sfc. 


kave  taken  that  course^  in  jfulfiUin^  my^uty  in  this  life, 
which  the  God  of  nature  hath  pointed  oil  for  me.  la 
doing  this,  I  shall  endeavor  to  ^ive  a  plain  and  simple 
narrative  of  facts  as  they  took  place,  and  relate  only 
tho|e  particulars  of  my  life,  with  such  of  the  cases  that 
have  come  under  my  care,  as  will  best,  convey  to  the 
reader,  the  most  correct  information  of  my  system  of 
pra^ice  in  carins  disease. 

I  was  bom  February  9,  1769,  in  the  town  of  Alstead, 
county  of  Cheshire,  and  State  of  New  Hampshire.  My 
fhther,  Jdhn  Thomson,  was  born  in  Northbridge,  county 
of  Worcester,  and  State  of  Massachusetts;  he  was 
twentydfiv^'^ars  old  when  I  was  born.  My  mother's 
nap^e^'was  Hfuinah'Cobb;  iHle  ^If,  bom  in  Medway, 
Miss.^  and  wais  four  years  older  thaimliny  fiither.  I  had 
pne  sister  older  tiian  myself,  and  three  brothers  and  one 
akiter  younger,  who  are  all  living  e^tcept  my  iweond 
brotlwr,  who  died  in  his  fourteenth  year.  My  oldeit 
sister^married  Samuel  Hills,  and  lives  in  Suny,  Nisw 
Hampshure,  and  my  two  brothers  live  in  Jericho,  Ver- 
mont. M|[^  youngest  sister  married  Waters  Mather,  and 
lives  in  theiState  of  Ohio. 

That  counti^was  a  wilderness  when  I  was  born;  inv 
father  had  begah.  there  about  a  year  before,  at  which 
time  there  wasnoY»>use  within  three  miles  one  way, 
and  about  oUe  the  oth^v  there  were  no  roads,  and  they 
had  to  ffo  by  marked  treeik.  The  snow  was  very  deep 
when  thev  moved  there,  aiH^my  mother  had  to  travel 
over  a  mile  on  anow  shoes  thrt^gh  the  woods  to  g^t  to 
their  habitation.  My  parents  wiire  poor,  having  nothing 
to  begin  the  world  with;  but  had  to  depend  upon  their 
labour  for  support.  My  fhther  had  bought  a  piece  of  wild 
land  on  credit,  and  had  to  pay  for  It  by  his  labor  in  what 
he  could  make  off  the  land,  which  caused  us  great  hard- 
ships and  deprivations  for  a  long  time; 

AM  soon  as  I  be^an  to  form  any  correct  ^leas  of  things, 
my. mind  was  much  irritated  by  the  impressions  made  on 
it  by  in^  parents,  who,  no  doubt  with  very  aood  inten- 
tions, mled  mjr  young  head  with  all  kinds  oi  hoh-gob&i 
and  Witeh-stories,  which  made  a  very  deep  impression 
on  my  ttiind,  and  which  were  not  entirely  eradicated  for 
many  y e(urs>    I  mention  this  as  t  caution  to  parents,  not 


Of  S^mml  Thmion, 


15 


deep 


to  tell  their  ohildieii  anj  thing  but  the  truth;  (ex  youiur 
chil^in  nati]|iwy  l^elieve  whatey^r  their  parents  tell 
them,  and  wh«a  they  frijghten  them  with  such  stories, 
fat  the  purpose  of  making  them'  behaye  well^  it  wUl 
ihost  generally  hnye  a  yery  bad'  effect;  for  when  they 
arriye  at  years  of  discretion,  and  find,  that  all  those  sto- 
ries ife  falsehoods,  they  will  naturally  form  yeiy  un^a- 
ywable  opinions  of  their  parents,  whose  duty  it  is  to  set 
them  better  examples. 

My  father  and  mioUier  were  of;the  Baptist  persuasion, 
and  were  yery  strict, in  their  religious  duties.  They  at- 
tended meeting  eyery  Sabbath,  and  my  father  prayed 
•night  and  mormng  in  his  family.  One  daj^tiiiey  went  to 
meeting,  and  left  |^aiv|9iy  aiitel  at  home  mifi^  and 
told  us  that  if  we  irera  wicked  they  should  send  tlta  Ibear 
or  the  knocker  to  carry  us  off.  While  they  were  absent 
I  was  at  play,  when  we  heard  a  hard  knocking  on  the 
initside  or  the  house,  which  frightened  us  yenr  much,  and 
when  they  came*  home  I  told  tfiem  what  had  happened; 
but  instead  of  letting  us  know  what  it  was,  they  told  us 
it  was  the  knocker  they  had  told  us  of,  and  that  or  the 
bear  would  always  come,  if  we  were  wicked,  and  did  not 
mind  and  do  as  they  told  us.  It  was  seyeral  years  after 
that  my  reason  taught  me  that  this  knocker,  as  they  call- 
ed it,  was  a  wood-pecker  that  came  on  the  end  of  the 
house.  Parents  ought  to  be  dareful  to  impress  on  the 
minds  of  young  children,  correct  ideas  of  things,  and 
not  mislead  thmr  understandings  by  telling  them  false- 
lioods;  for  it  will  be  of  the  greatest  importance  as  re- 
spects their  future  conduct  and  pursuits  in  life. 

When  I  was  between  three  a&d  four  years  old,  my 
father  took  me  out  with  him  to  work.  The  first  business 
I  inras  set  to  do  was  to  driye  the  cows  to  pasture,  and 
watch  the  geese j  with  other  small  chores,  which  occu- 
pation kept  me  all  day  in  the  fields.  I  was  yery  curious 
to  know  the  names  of  all  the  herbs  which  I  saw  grow- 
ing, and  what  they  were  good  for;  and,  to  satisfy  my 
curiosiity  was  constantly  mwing  inquiries  of  the  persona 
I  happened  to  be  with,  for  that  purpose.  All  the  infor- 
mation I  thus  obtained,  or  by  my  own  obseryatipn,  1  care- 
fully laid  up  in  mv  memory,  and  never  forgot,  lliere 
was  an  old  lady  by  the  Qame  of  Benton  lived  oei^  V9| 


in 


liB 


j^fmm'^mi^:^^. 


who  vaed  to  attend  our  ftn^y  wfiim  fh^ire  was  any  aick> 
nem.  At  that  time  theire  waino  tuch  thitig  as  a  Doct0r 
knpum  aniQiic  us,  thet'e  bdc  bein^  any  witmn  ten  miles. 
T%e  whole  oHier  practice  was  With  roots  and  herbs,  ap- 
plied to  the  patient,  or  giv^  in  hot  drinks,  to  productB 
sweating;  which  always  answered  the  purpose.  When 
one  thing  did  not  produce  the  desired  effect,  die  Vould 
try  something  else,  till  t!hey  were  relieved.  By  her 
attention  to  the  family,  and  the  benefits  they  received 
from  her  skill,  we  became  very  much  attached  to  her; 
and  when  she  used  to  eo  out  to  collect  roots  and  herbs, 
she  would  take  me  with  her,  and  ifearh  me  their  names, 
with  wjl^atf'^yr^were  j^^  for;  and  I  used  to  be  very 
cuii^i^lh  my  inquineis;  and  &  tai^^  everything  that 
1  fiywnd.  The  in^nnation  I  thus  obtained  at  this  early 
age,  was  afterwards  nf  great  use  to  me. 

Sometime  in  the  summibr,  after  t  was  four  years  old, 
being  out  in  the  fields  in  search  Of  the  cows,  I  discii>v- 
ered  a  plant  which  had  a  singular  branch  and  pods,  that 
I  had  never  before  seen,  and  I  had  the  curiosity  to  pick 
some  of  the  pods  and  chew  them;  the  taste  and  opera- 
tion produced  was  so  remarkable,  that  I  never  forgot  it. 
I  afterwards  used  to  induce  other  boys  to  chew  it,  merely 
by  way  of  sport,  to  see  them  vomit.  I  tried  this  herb 
in  this  way  for  nearly  twenty  years,  without  knowing 
any  thine  of  its  medical  virtues.  This  plant  is  what  I 
have  called  the  Emetic  Herb,  and  is  the  moat  important 
article  I  make  use  of  in  n^  practice.  It  is  very  common 
in  most  parts  of  this  country,  and  may  be  prepared  and 
used  in  almost  any  manner.  It  is  a  certain  counter  poi- 
son, having  never  been  known  to  fail  to  counteract  the 
effects  of  the  most  deadly  poison,  even  when  taken 
in  large  quantities  for  self-destruction.  There  is  no 
danger  to  be  apprehended  from  its  use,  as  it  is  per- 
fectly harmless  in  its  operation,  even  when  a  large 
quantity  is  taken;  it  operates'  as  an  emetic,  cleanses 
the  stomach  fi'om  all  improper  aliment,  promotes  an  in- 
ternal heat,  which  is  ihimediately  felt  at  the  extremi- 
ties, and  produces  perspiration.  The  exclusive  right 
of  using. this  plant  for  medical  purposes  is  secured  to 
me  by  patent,  and  my  right  to  the  oiscovery  has  never 
been  disputed;   though  ue  Doctors  havb  done  every 


Of  Bwmtl  ThimuM* 


VI 


herb 


IS '  per- 
large 

leanses 
an  in- 

xtremi- 
right 

ured  to 
never 
every 


tluQg  they  could  to  destroy  the  credit  of  it,  by  false 
ftatements,  rejpresenting  it  to  be  a  deadly  poison,  and 
at  the  same  tune  they  knew  to  the  contrary,  for  Jhey 
have  made  use  of  it  Uiemselves  for  several  years,  and 
have  tried  to  defraud  me  of  the  discovery.  I  feel  per- 
fectly convinced  from  near  fort;^  years  experience  of 
its  medical  properties,  that  the  diiscoverv  is  of  incalcu- 
lable importance,  and  if  properl;^  understood  by  the 
Seople  will  be  more  useful  in  curing  the  diseases  ind- 
ent to  this  climate,  than  the  drugs  and  medicines  sold 
by  all  the  apothecaries  in  the  country. 

At  five  years  of  age  my  father  put  mo  to  hard  work, 
and  was  very  strict,  using  the  greatest  severky  towards 
me.  I  used  to  sufier  very  much  from  pains  In  By  hips 
nnd  back,  bemg  lame  from  my  birth,  and  the  hard  work 
made  me  so  stin,  that  in  the  morning  it  was  with  diffi- 
culty I  could  walk.  My  father's  severity  towards  me 
made  me  very  unhappy;  for  I  was  constantly  in  fear 
■lest  he  should  call  and  1  should  not  hear  hidi,  in  which 
case,  he  used  to  punish  me  very  severely.  I  continued 
in  this  situation  till  I  was  eight  years  old,  when  my 
brothers  began  to  be  some  help,  which  took  pfut  of  the 
burthen  off  from  me.  We  suffered  great  hardships  and 
lived  very  poorly;  but  we  always  had  something  to  eat, 
and  were  contented,  for  we  knew  of  nothing  better;  a 
dish  of  bean-porridge  and  some  potatoes,  were  our  con- 
stant fare,  and  this  was  better  than  many  others  had. 
The  greatest  part  of  this  winter  we  had  to  live  in  the 
bam.  In  July  my  faUier  had  got  a  part  of  the  roof  of 
a  new  house  covered,  and  we  moved  into  it;  which  was 
more  comfortable  than  the  barn.  About  this  time  my 
mother  was  taken  sick,  and  was  carried  to  Mrs.  Benton^ 
for  her  to  take  care  of,  where  she  remained  for  several 
weeks,  during  which  time,  by  using  such  means  as  this 
old  lady  prescribed/  she  recovered.  At  this  time  I  had 
never  been  to  school,  or  had  any  chance  whatever  to 
learn  to  read.  My  father  kept  me  constantly  at  work, 
all  week  days,  and  on  Sunday  I  had  to  go  a  con^ 
siderable  distance  on  foot  to  meeting,  and  ue  rest  of 
the  dapr.was  kept  on  my  feet  in  hearing  .him  read  the 
catechunn,  creed  and  prayers,  so  that  ihad-  little  time 
to  rest  on  that  day. 
2* 


ik 


Mxrrathe  of  Ae  Ufe,  ifc. 


The  winter  I  was  eight  yean  old,  I  was  rerj^aick 
witfi  the  canker-rash;  bat  was  attended  by  the  widow 
Beiilon,  who  cured  me  by  making  use  of  such  medicine 
as  our  country  afforded,  and  I  was  in  a  short  time  able 
to  be  about.  After  I  had  got  well,  my  mind  was  more 
attentive  to  the  use  of  roots  and  herbs  as  medicine,  than 
ever.  I  had  at  that  time  a  veiry  good  knowledge  of  the 
principal  roots  and  herbs  to  be  found  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  with  their  names  and  medical  uses;  and  the 
neighbors  were  in  the  habit  of  getting  me  to  go  with 
them  to  show  them  such  roots  and  herbs  as  the  doctors 
ordered  to  be  made  use  of  in  sickness,  for  syrups,  &c. 
and  bywi^  of  sport  they  used  to  call  me  doctor.  While 
in  l^olleld  at  Work  I  used  c»ften  fo'^d  the  herb,  which 
I  tilled  when  four  years  old,  and  gave  it  to  those  who 
worked  with  me,  to  see  them  spit  and  often  vbmit ;  but 
I  never  observed  any  bad  effect  produced  by  it,  ^ich 
simple  experiments  eventually  led  me  to  observe  the  valhe 
of  it  in  disease. 

When  I  was  about  ten  years  old,  there  was  a  school 
a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  my  father's,  where  I  had 
^he  opportunity  of  attending  for  one  month.  The 
weather  was  cold  and  the  going  bad,  which  caused  me 
to  make  very  slow  progress  in  my  learning;  but  the 
chance  we  considered  a  great  privilege,  for  the  country 
Was  new  and  people  poor,  and  the  opportunity  for 
children  to  get  learning  very  smaJ.  I  took  a  great  dis- 
like to  working  on  a  farm,  and  never  could  be  recon- 
ciled to  it;  for  nothing  could  strike  me  with  greater 
dread  than  to  hear  the  name  of  a  plough,  or  any  other 
thing  used  on  a  fktm  mentioned.  This  I  have  always 
attributed  to  the  hardships  I  underwent,  and  the  severity 
which  my  father  used  constantly  to  exercise  towards 
me  fi^om  the  time  I  was  five  to  ten  years  old.  At  that 
time,  r  used  to  think  that  if  ever  I  had  any  land  I  would 
not  plough  it ;  and  if  my  father's  treatment  of  me  was 
the  effect  of  his  religion,  I  never  wished  to  have  any. 
This  was  when  he  was  under  the  strongest  influence  of 
the  baptist  persuasion,  and  used  to  be  very  zealous  in 
hiiB  religious  duties,  praying  night  and  morning,  and 
sblbetimes  three  times  a  day.    He  was  a  man  of  violent 


Of  Smmel  Tkmtm. 


19 


recon- 


waA  quick  tennper,  and  wh«n  in  hit  fits  of  paiMon,  my 
mother  used  frequently  to  remind  him  of  certain  parte 
of  hie  prayer;  eueh  aa  this,  which  I  never  ij^got: 
*'  Maj  we  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  m  the 
present  evil  world."  She  was  a  woman  much  respected 
m  the  town  where  we  lived. 

About,  the  time  I  was  fourteen  years  old,  my  fhther 
left  the  baptist  persuasion  and  embraced  that  of  uni- 
versal salvation;  By  jgrace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith 
not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God.  If  he  ever  ex- 
perienced a  change  of  heurt  for  the  better,  it  was  at 
this  time;  his  love  to  God  and  man  was  great,  and 
I  had  great  reason  to  rejoice,  for  he  was  like  another 
man  in  his  house.  'He  contiiiiled  to  enljoy  the  same 
belief,  with  much  comfort  to  the  tnne  of  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  August,  1830,  aged  76.  My 
mother  remained  many  years  in  the  rail  belief  of 
the  salvation  of  all  men,  and  continued  so  till  her- 
death.  • 

Sometime  during  the  year  that  I  was  sixteen  years 
old,  I  heard  my  parents  say,  that  as  my  mind  was  so 
much  taken  up  with  roots  and  herbs,  they  thought  it 
best  to  send  me  to  live  with  a  Doctor  Fuller,  of  West- 
moreland, who  was  called  <a  root  doctor.  This  pleased 
me  very  much,  and  in  some  measure  raised  my  ambi- 
tion; but  I  was  soon  after  disappointed  in  my  hopes, 
for  they  said  I  had  not  learning  enough,  and  they  did 
not  know  how  to  spare  ine  from  my  work,  which  de- 
pressed my  spirits,  and  was'  very  discouraging  to  me.  I 
now  gave  up  all  hopes  of  going  to  any  other  business, 
and  tried  to  reconcile  myself  to  spend  my  days  in  work- 
ing on  a  farm,  which  made  me  very  unhappy.  I  had 
litUe  learning,  and  was  awkward  and  ignorant  of  the 
world,  as  my  father  had  never  given  me  any  chance  to 
go  into  company,  to  learn  how  to  behavCj  which  caused 
me  great  uneasmess. 

In  the  year  1*796,  when  I  was  in  my  nineteenth  year, 
my  father  purchased  a  piece  of  land  on  Onion  river,  in 
the  state  of  Vermont,  and  on  the  12th  day  of  October, 
he  started  from  Alstead,  and  took  me  with  him,  to  go 
to  work  on  the  land  and  clear  up  some  of  it  to  build'  a 
house  on,  as  it  was  all  covered  with  wood.    In  about 


40 


AomiliM  of  ihfi  Uft,  Sfc. 


four  ^ays  after,  pur  arrival,  we  y^te  exiabled  to  clear  a 
amallc  spot  and  to  Iraild  up  a  can^  to  live  in;  we  b^id  to 
do  juir  own  cooking  ,and  washing;  our  fare  wa«  poor, 
•nd%e  had  to  work  very  hard;  but  we  got  alone  toierar 
bly  well  till  the  3d  of  December,  when  I  had  Uie  nub- 
fortune  ^o  cut  my  ancle  very  badly,  which  accident  pre- 
vented me  from  doiiu;  any  labor  for  a  long  time,  and 
almost  deprived  me  of  life.  The  wound  was  a  very  bad 
4»ie,  as  it  split  the  joint  and  laid  the  bone  entirely  bare, 
ao  as  to  lose  the  juices  of  my  ancle  joint  to  such  a  de- 
gree as  to  reduce  my  strength  very  much.  My  father 
sent  for  a  Doctor  Cole,  of  Jericho,  who  ordered  sweet 
apple-4ree  JMrk  to  be  boiled,  and  the  wound  to  be  washr 
ed  miUin  it,  which  caused  great  pain,  and  made  it  much 
WQlM,  so  that  in  eight  days  nty  strenoth  was  ahnost  ex- 
hausted; the  flesh  on  my  leg  and  thigK  was  mostly  gone, 
and  my  life  was  despaired  of;  the  doctor  said  he  could 
do  no  more  for  me ;  my  father  was  greatly  alarmed  about 
me,  and  said  that  if  Dr.  Kitteridce,  of  Walpole,  could 
be  sent  for,  he  thought  he  might  help  me;  but  I  told 
him  it  would  be  in  vain  to  send  for  him,  for  I  could 
not  live  so  long  as  it  would  take  to  go  after  hun, 
without  some  immediate  assistance.  He  said  he  did  not 
know  what  to  do;  I  told  him  that  there  was  one  thing  I 
had  thought  of  which  I  wished  to  have  tried,  if  it  could 
be  obtained,  that  I  thought  would  help  me.  He  anxious- 
ly inquired  what  it  was,  and  I  told  him  if  he  could  find 
some  comfrey  root,  I  would  try  a  plaster  made  of  that 
and  turpentine.  He  immediately  went  to  an  old  place 
that  was  settled  before  the  war,  and  had  the  good  luck 
to  find  some;  a  plaster  was  prepared  by  my  direc- 
tions and  implied  to  my  ancle,  tne  side  opi>osite  to  the 
wound,  and  had  the  desired  efiect;  the  juices  stopped 
running  in  about  six  hours,  and  I  was  very  much 
relieved;  though  the  pain  continued  to  be  very  severe 
and  the  inflammation  was  great;  the  juices  settled 
between  the  skii^  and  bone,  and  caused  a  suppura- 
tion, which  broke  in  about  three  weeks;  during  which 
time  I  did  not  have  three  nights  sleep,  nor  did  I  eat  any 
thing.  This  accidental  remedy  was  found  ^rou||h 
ne^ssity,  and  was  fho  "^  "  ''  **^  -t-  «• 
vention  held  forth  her 


i: 


first  time  the 
hand  to  me. 


mother  of  u»- 
The   success 


<y 


which  ittended  thii  experiment,  uid  the  nattind  tarn 
of  my  mind  to  those  things,  I  tiifaik  was  a  principal 
cause  of  my  continuing  to  practise  the  healing  ut,  to 
this  time. 

^  Our  stock  of  provisions  being  now  exhausted,  and  my 
Wound  someiHlat  better,  my  father  was  very  anxious  to 
return  to  Abtead.  He  asked  me  if  I  thought  I  could 
bear  the  journey,  if  he  should  place  me  on  a  bed  laid 
in  k  ried.  I  answered  that  I  was  willing  to  try.  He 
immediately  went  to  work  and  fixed  a  sled,  and  put 
me  in  it  on  a  straw  bed;  and  on  tiie  first  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1789,  we  began  our  jonmev.  There  was  very 
little  snow,  and  the  road  rouch,  which  caused  the  sled 
to  jolt  veiy  much,  and  my  sufferingii  wer^  |preat.  It  was 
very  dotibtfiil  with  my  fiithar,  and  likewise  with  me, 
whether  I  should 'live  to  perform  the  joumej^;  but  we 
proceeded  on,  however,  without  any  thing  important 
happening,  except  wearing  out  the  runners  of  our  sled, 
ana  having  to  make  new  ones,  and  accomplished  twenty 
miles  the  first  «day.  At  a  place  where  we  stopped  aU 
night,  there  was  a  woman  whose  situation  appeared  to 
me  so  much  worse  than  my  own,  that  I  ielt  much  en- 
couraged. She  had  been  sick  with  a  fever,  and  the 
doctor  had  given  so  much  poisonous  medicine,  to  break 
the  fever,  as  he  called  it,  she  was  left  in  a  most  misera- 
ble situation.  Her  side  and  shoulder  were  in  a  putrid 
state,  and  in  full  as  bad  a  condition  as  my  ancle.  My 
father  in  dressing  my  wound  had  drawn  a  string  through 
between  the  heel-cord  and  bone,  and  another  between 
that  and  the  skin;  so  that  two-thirds  of  the  way  round 
my  ancle  was  hollow. 

.  At  a  place  where  we  stopped  on  the  third  night,  a 
circumstance  had  occurred  which,  from  its  novelty,  I 
think  worth  mentioning.  A  young  woman  who  lived 
in  the  family  had  discovered  a  strong  inclination  to  sleep 
mofe  than  what  is  common;  lind  had  expressed  a  wish 
that  they  would  let  her  sleep  enough  once.  She  went 
to  bed  on  Sunday  night,  and  did  not  wake  again  till 
Tuesday  morning,  having  slept  thirty-six  hours.  On 
awdcing,  she  had  no  idea  of  having  slept  more  than  one 
night;  but  began  to  make  prej^aration  for  washing,  as 
'Was  lite  custom  on  Mondays,  till  she  was  informed  that 


32 


of  Ou  UJt,  isc. 


thev  had  wMh«d  the  day  before.  Her  hedih  wu  good 
and  ihe  n^ver  after  that  required  more  ileep  than  other 
peraoM.;,|...,j  _., 

When  we  ffot  on  to  the  high  land  there  waa  conaiderft' 
ble  snow,  and  we  got  along  much  more  comfortably.  I 
had  to  be  carried  in  on  the  bed  and  laid  by  the  fire, 
every  night  during  the  journey.  The  people  gener- 
ally, where  we  stopped,  treated  me  with  Idndneaa,  and 
ahowed  much  pitv  for  me  in  ray  distressed  situation; 
but  they  all  ihoucht  that  I  should  not  Uve  |o  get  through 
the  journey.  T^e  doctors  had  advised, to  have  my  leg 
cut  off,  as  the  onl^  means  of  saving  my  life,  and  all  those 
who  saw  pjB  dunng  our  journey,  expressed  the  same 
opinion;  and  I. think,  it  would  have  been  done  had  I 
^iven  my  consent;  but  I  positively  refused  to  asree  to 
it,  so  the  plan  was  given  up.  I  preferred  to  take  mv 
chance  witn  my  leg  on,  to  having  it  taken  off;  which 
resolution  I  have  never  repented  of,  to  this  dav. 

On  arriving  in  Walpole,  my  fether  proceeded  imme- 
^ately  to  the  house  of  the  famous  Dr.  Ekteridge,  t» 
have  him  dress  my  wound,  and  get  his  opinion  of  my 
situation;  he  not  being  at  home,  and  it  being  nearly 
dark,  we  concluded  to  put  up  for  the.  night,  and  I  waa 
carried  in  on  my  bed  and  laid  by  the  fire.  The  doctor 
soon  came  home,  and  on  entering  the  room  where  I 
was,  cried  out  in  a  very  rough  manner,  Who  have  you 
here?  His  wife  answered,  a  sick  man.  The  devil,  re- 
plied he,  I  want  no  sick  man  here.  I  was  much  terri- 
fied by  his  coarse  manner  of  speaking,  and  thousht  if 
he  was  so  rough  in  his  conversation,  what  will  he  be 
when  he  comes  to  dress  my  wound;  but  I  was  happily 
disappointed,  for  he  tpok  off  the  dressing  with  great 
care,  and  handled  ine  very  tenderly.  On  seeing  the 
strings  that  were  in  the  wound,  he  exclaimed.  What  the 
devil  are  these  halters  here  for?  My  father  told  him 
they  were  put  in  to  keep  the  sore  open.  He  said  he 
thought  the  sore  open  enough  now,  for  it  is  all  rotten. 
Beins  anxious  to,  knpw  his  opinion  of  me,  my  father 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  my  situation.  .  What  do 
I  think?  said  he,  why  I  think  he  will  die;  and  then 
looking  very  pleasantly  at  me,  said,  though!  think 
young  man,  you  will  get  well  first.    In  the  morning  he 


la  good 

Budeirtr 
ibly.  I 
he  fire, 

gener- 
NM,  waA 
tuation; 
through 

my  leg 
bU  those 
le  same 
e  had  I 

See  to 
e  mv 
;  which 

I  iaune!- 
idge,  to 
Dof  my 
nearly 
I  was 
doctor 
where  I 
ive  you 
evil,  re- 
h  terri- 

DUffht  if 

1  he  be 
hi^ppUy 
great 
ling  the 
Irhttt  the 
old  him 
said  he 
1  rotten, 
y  father 
That  do 
nd  then 
I  think 
oing  he 


JbiMMil  mjr  ancle  iliin,  tnd  gave  «e  eopie  ailfe  to  we 
in  fimife;  and  ny  ivher  Mked  him  fer  hia  bill,  which 
wu,  I  thfaik,  Ibr  oior  keeping  and  his  attendiAtf  me, 
ttbout  fifty  cents.  A  great  contrast  between  this  and 
what  is  charged  at  the  present  time  by  oar  regular  phy-> 
sicians;  for  they  will  hardly  look  at  a  person  without 
making  them  pay  two  or  three  doDars.  I  hare  been 
more  pirticular  m  describing  this  interview  with  Dr. 
Kittendge,  on  account  of  bis  extraordinary  skill  hi 
surgery,  and  the  great  name  he  acquired,  and  justly 
deserved,  among  the  people  throughout  the  country. 
His  qrstem  of  practice  wai  peculiarly  his  own,  and  ell 
the  medicines  ne  used  were  prepared  bv  kaaself,  firom 
the  roots  and  herbs  of  our  own^  ciouflay.  Hr^as  a 
very  eccentric  character,  and  uncouth  in  his  manners]: 
tntt  he  poasesied  a  good  heart,  and  a  benevolent  dis- 
position. He  was  governed  in  his  practice  by  that 
great  plan  which  is  dictated  by  nature;  and  the  un* 
cmmnoh  success  he  met  with  n  evidence  enough  to 
satisfy  any  reasonable  mind,  of  the  superiority  of  it 
over  what  is  the  practice  of  tjniiA  ii^o  become  doctors 
by  reading  only,  with  their  poisons  and  their  instruments 
of  torture. 

We  left  Walpole,  and  arrived  lU  our  home  about  noon, 
and  my  mother,  brothers  and  oisters,  were  much  re« 
joiced  to  see  me,  though  grieved  at  my  distressed  situ»> 
tion;  and  never  was  any  one  more  in  need  of  the  ten- 
der care  of  fiiends  than  I  was  at  this  time.  My  mother 
proved  to  me  the  old  saying,  that  a  fiiend  in  need  is  a 
friend  indeed.  My  case  was  considered  doubtfol  foi^ 
some  time.  I  was  fircmi  the  first  of  December  to  the 
first  of  March  unable  to  walk;  but  by  good  nursing  and 
constant  care,  I  was  enabled  in  the  sprins  to  attend  to 
tiie  business  fit  home,  so  that  my  father  left  me  in  charge 
of  the  farm,  and  went  with  my  brother  to  Onion  river, 
again  to  work  on  his  land. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1T90, 1  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  and  my  fiUfaer  gave  me  a  deed  of  one  half  of 
his  farm  ui  Aldtead,  coniii^kfaig  of  one  hundred  and 
fWeiity-five  acres;  and  I' carried  it  on  ft>r  three  years, 
nnd  he  had  the  liberty  to  ti&e  such  stock  as  he  pleased. 
He  then  inade  prB{ittrition)i  and  removedi  td  Oluon  river, 


$4 


Mtrrdm  of  the  Lye,  ^c. 


and  left  mv  mother  and  siater  in  my  care.  Soon  after  I 
took  a  bad  cold,  which  threw  me  iiHo  a  alow  fever.  In 
the  month  of  March  we  all  had  the  meazLes,  and  my 
mother  had  what  the  doctors  called  the  black  kind,  and 
was  so  bad  that  her  life  was  despaired  of.  The  disease 
turned  in  and  seiUted  on  her  lungs,  and  she  never  recov- 
ered her  health.  Several  doctors  attended  her  without 
doing  her  any  good.  Her  cough  was  very  severe  and 
her  mouth  was  sore,  and  she  was  greatly  distressed.  I 
attended  upon  her  under  the  direction  of  the  doctors, 
and  took  the  cough,  and  had  much  the  same  symptoms. 
She  continued  to  grow  worse  daily;  the  doctors  gave 
her  over,  ,^d  gave  her  disease  the  name  of  galloping 
consumption,  #|ti[ch  I  tl^pught  was  a  very  appropriate 
name;  fot  they  are  the  Hders,  and  their  whip  is  mer- 
cury, opium  and  vitriol,  and  they  galloped  hereout  of  the 
world  in  about  nine  weeks.  She  died  on  the  l(|th  day 
of  May,  1790. 

I  was  at  this  time  very  low  with  the  same  disordef 
that  my  mother  died  with,  and  the  doctor  often  impor- 
tuned me  to  take  some  of  his  medicine;  but  I  declined 
it,  thinking  I  had  rather  die  a  natural  death.  He  tried 
to  frighten  me  by  telling  me  it  was  the  last  chance  of 
getting  help,  and  he  thought  he  could  cure  me ;  but  I 
told  -him  I  had  observed  the  effect  his  medicine  had  on 
my  mother,  for  she  constantly  grew  worse  under  the  ope- 
ration of  it,  and  I  had  no  desire  to  risk  it  on  myself.  I 
have  always  been  of  the  opinion,  that  if  I  had  followed 
his  advice,  I  should  have  been  galloped  out  of  the  world 
the  same  as  my  mother  was;  and  I  have  never  repented 
of  my  refusal  to  this  day. 

After  my  mother  died,  I  undertook  to  doctor  myself, 
and  made  some  syrups  of  such  things  as  I  had  the 
knowledge  of,  which  relieved  my  cough;  and  with  the 
warm  weatjlier,  I  so  far  recovered  my  health,  as  to  he  able 
to  work  some  time  in  June.  Berne  without  women's 
help,  I  was  obl^ed  to  hire  such  as  I  could  get,  which 
proved  a  disadvantage  to  my  interest,  and  I  thought  it 
would  be  best  to  4nd,  some  peripn  who  wojold  take  an 
interest  in  saving  iny  property.  .On  the  7th  day  of 
July,  1790, 1  was  married  to  Susan,  Allen.  We  were 
both  young,  and^  great  huddiipt  to  encounter,  but  we 


Of  Sttmntl  Thmtm 


^^^ 


got  along  yfiy  wel|»  ao4  hoth  ei^yei  good  hiOAlth  unti^ 
our  fint  c}iila  was ,  bioni,  whidi  WM  on  the  ^luth  dajr 
of  July  fiiUowiog.  My  vrife  waa  taMa  ill  on  Saturday, 
and  aent  ibr  help;  ihe  lingered  along  till  Sunday  night, 
when  she  became  very  had;  her  aiiuation  waa  danger- 
oua,  and  «he  waa  in  hand  coiuiantly  the  whole  night, 
untU  sunriae  the  next  mominc,  wlten  ahe  was  delirered; 
but  her  aenaea  were  gone.  I))aring  the  whole  ni^  it 
was  one  continued  struggle  of  fiHrcing  nature,  wldQh 
produced  ao  great  an  iiyunr  to  the  nenroua  ayaten,  aa  to 
cauae  strong^  convulaion  nta  in  ah^ut  an  hour  after  her 
delivery,  'jnie  witneaaing  of  thia  horrid  scene  <^  hur 
man  butch^,  was  mie  great  cause  of  my  Bfyiog  attenr 
tion  to  midwifery,  anij  my  practioa  )mmi  ,fince  haen  very 
successful  in. it. 

Her  fita  continued  and  grew  worse;  there  were  six. 
doctora  attended  her  that  day,,  and  a aeventh  waa  sent 
for;  but  ahe  arew  worse  under  their  care;  for  one  would 
give  her  medU»ne,  and  another  aaid  ^lat  he  did  wrong; 
another  would  bleed  her,  and  U>e  otiier  would  say  he 
had  done  wrong ;  and  so  on  through  the  whole.  I  heard 
one  of  them  say  that  his  experience  in  this  case  was 
worth  fifly  dolkurs.  I  found  that  they  were  trying  their 
practice  by  experunenta;  apd  wiaii  so  dissatisfi^  wiUi 
their  conduct,  that  at  night  I  told  them  mhfd  I  thooght; 
and  that  I  had  heard  them  accusing  each  other  of  doing 
wrong;  but  I  was  convinced  that  they  had  all  told  the 
truth,  for  they  had  all  done  wrong.  They  all  gave  her 
over  to  die,  and  I  dismissed  them,  having  seen  enough 
of  their  conduct  to  convince  me  that  they  were  doii)g 
more  hurt  dian  good. 

After  they  were  gone,  I  sent  for  Dr.  Watts  and  Dr. 
Fuller,  idvo  were  called  root  doctors.  They  attended 
her  through  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  about  the 
sune  hour  that  they  beaan,  the  fits  lefl  her.  She  had 
in  the  whole,  eighteen  of  the  most  shocking  convulaion 
fits  that  had  been  ever  seen  by  any  one  preaent.  The 
spasms  were  so  violent  that  it  jarred  the  whole  house. 
After  the  fits  had  left  her,  ahe  was  entirely  senseless, 
and  was  raving  diatracted  for  three  days;,  and  then  be- 
came perfectly  stupid,  aad  lay  in  tibat  situation  for  three 
4aya;  she  then  laughed  ^c^  ^laySraad  than  ari^  three 
3 


96 


jmmm  of  Ae  JUfe,  Sfc. 


days;  after  irbich  ihe  seemed  to  awi&e  Idee  a  ]»erfloti 
firom  sleep,  and  had  no  knowledge  of  what  had  passed, 
or  that  she  had  been  sick,  or  had  a  child.  These  two  v 
doctors  continued  to  attend  her,  and  used  all  the  means 
in  their  power  to  strengthen  the  nervous  system.  She 
gained  very  slowlv,  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  she 
got  aboot;  but  she  never  got  entirely  over  it.  Hiis" 
sickness  put  me  back  in  my  business  very  much,  and  the 
estpense  was  above  two  hundred  dollnrs. 

In  about  a  month  after  my  wife  had  recovered  jfrom 
her  MCkness,  she  was  attacked  with  the  ^oltc,  which 
required  all  my  attention,  and  that  of  the  two  doctors 
who  attended  her  before;  but  all  our  exertions  ap- 
peared to  be  ill  vain,  for  the  disease  had  its  regular 
course  for  several  days,  and  then  left  her.  These  at^- 
tacks  continued  once  a  month,  or  oftener,  and  it  was  so 
much  trouble  to  go  for  the  doctor  so  often,  as  I  had  to 
durinir  these  turns,  that  I  let  a  younf  man  who  studied 
with  Dr.  Watts,  have  a  house  on  my  fonn,  so  as  to  have 
him  hiandy;  but  I  soon  found  that  by  having  a  doctor 
so  near,  there  was  plenty  of  business  for  him;  for  there 
was  not  a  month  in  the  year  but  what  1  had  some* 
body  sick  in  my  family.  If  a  child  was  attacked  with 
any  trifling  complaint,  the  doctor  was  sent  for,  and  they 
were  sure  to  have  a  long  sickness;  so  he  paid  his  rent 
and  keeping  very  easy.  This  doctor  lived  on  my  farm 
seven  years,  during  which  time  I  had  a  very  ^ood 
knowledge  of  all  the  medicine  he  mstde  use  of,  and  his 
manner  of  curing  diseases,  which  has  been  of  great  use 
to  me,  in  findine  out  the  use,  or  rather  the  abuse  and 
imposition  of  a  family  doctor,  as  the  family  is  of  no  use 
to  the  doctor,  unless  they  are  sick,  and  it  is  for  his  profit, 
if  not  sick,  to  make  them  so.  During  the  first  of  his 
practice,  he  used  chiefly  roots  and  herbs,  and  his  suc- 
cess was  very  great  in  curiiig  canker  and  old  complaints; 
but  he  afterwards  got  into  the  fashionable  mode  of  treat* 
ii^  his  patients,  by  giving  them  apothecary's  drugs; 
which  made  him  more  popular  with  the  faculty,  and  less 
usefiil  to  his  fellow  creatures. 

My  mind  Was  bent  on  learning  the  medical  propeiv 
ties  of  such  vegetables  as  I  met  with,  and  was  constant- 
ly in  the  habit  of  tasting  every  thing  of  the  kind  I  saw; 


Of  Samuel  I^ommii. 


9T 


and  having  a  retentive  memory,  I  have  alwayt  rteoUaot- 
ed  the  taf^e  and  use  of  all  that  were  ever  ahown  me 
hy  others,  and  likewise  of  all  that  I  discovered  myself. 
This  practice  of  tasting  of  herba  and  roots  has  been  of 
great  advantage  to  me,  as  I  have  always  been  able  to 
ascertain  what  is  useful  for  Any  particular  disease,  by 
that  means.  I  was  often  told  that  I  should  poison  my- 
self by  tasting  every  thing  I  saw;  but  I  thoiu^  I  ougnt 
to  have  as  much  knowle<%e  as  a  beast,  for  they  possess 
an  instinct  to  discover  what  ia  noo^for  food,  and  what  is 
necessary  for  medicine.  I  had  but  very  lUtle  knowledge 
of  disease  at  this  time;  but  had  a  great  inclination  to 
learn  whatever  1  had  ua  opportunity;  and  i;Dy  own  expe- 
rience, which  is  the  best  s<uiool,  had  ofUui  called  my  at- 
tention to  the  subject,  v^r  ^^ 
The  herb  which  I  had  discovered  when  four  yaaii 
old,  I  had  often  met  with;  but  it  had  never  occurred  to 
me  that  it  was  of  any  value  as  medicine,  untU  kibout  this 
time,  when  mowing  in  the  field  with  a  number  of  men, 
one  day,  I  cut  a  sprig  of  it,  and.  gave  to  the  man  next 
to  me,  who  ate  it;  when  we  had  got  to  the  end  of  thu 
piece,  which  was  about  six  rods,  he  said  that  he  believ- 
ed what  I  had  given  him  would  kill  him,  for  he  never 
felt  80  in  his  life.  I  looked  at  him  and  saw  that  he  was 
in  a  most  profusci  perspiration,  being  as  wet  all  over  as 
he  could  be;  he  trembled  very  much,  and  there  was  no 
more  color  in  him  than  a  corpse.  I  told  him  to  go  to 
the  spring  and  drink  some  water;  he  attempted  to  go, 
and  got  as  far  as  the  wall,  but  was  unable  to  get  over  it, 
and  laid  down  on  the  ground  and  vomited  several  times. 
He  said  he  thought  he  threw  off  his  stomach  two  quarts. 
I  then  helped  him  into  the  house,  and  in  about  two  hours 
he  ate  a  very  hewrty  dinner,  and  in  the  afternoon  was 
able  to  do  a  good  half  day's  labor.  He  afterwards  told 
me  that  he  never  had  «ay  thing  do  him  so  much  good  in 
his  life;  his  appetite  was  remarkably  good,  and  he  felt 
better  than  he  had  for  a  long  time.  This  circumstance 
gave  me  the  first  idea  of  the  medical  virtues  of  this  valu- 
able plant,  which  I  have  since  found  by  fortv  years  ex- 
perience, in  which  time  I  have  made  use  of  it  in  every 
disease  I  have  met  with,  to  great  advantage,  that  it  is  a 
discovery  of  the  greatest  importance*  « 


28 


JWrrnfire  «/  Un  Life;  fye. 


fn  MArtfr,  iT94,  my  aedond  danghCcf^  irt»  born;  and 
my  wife  had  no  medical  ttawtanee  excfe^  whiit  I  eonld 
dd  fiyr  her,  #ith  the  adVk^  of  the  doctor  who  Hired  on 
my  ftrm.  After  thi»  ahe  was  never  again  afflicted  with 
the  dholie.  In  the  cowM  6f  this  year  the  Intfe  «f  my 
fatherV  half  of  the  farm  exi»it«d,  and  w6  made  a  di- 
tiaion  of  the  stock.  My  half  wwr  five  yearlhigs  and 
half  a  edit;  this,  with  half  Khe  Hum,  ccMdlaining  about 
one  hundred  and  twCnty-^ve  adrea,  was  alt  the  property 
I  poaaeMCd,  and  I  waamoatly  clear  of  debt.  Soon  after, 
I  purehaded  of  my  father  the  other  half  of  the  farm,  for 
which  I  gave  aix  hundred  and  thirty<«ix  doUara,  payable 
in  atock,  one  half  in  two  veara,  and  the  other  m  four. 
In  order  to  meet  these  payments,  I  pnrehased  calves 
and  colts;  but  it  proved  hard  for  me j  as  they  brought, 
iMdieii  ^payments  bee&ine  due,  but  little  more  than  the 
6rit  cost,  after  havinc  to  keep  them  two  years;  I  offered 
them  to  my  father  ^r  what  the  hay  they  ate  the  last 

rear  would  have  sdd  for,  but  he  would  not  agree  to  it. 
settled  with  him,  however;  and  paid  him  according  to 
Contract.  Ijifterwards  pinrebised  of  a  neigh'bor  a  unall 
piece  of  land,  which  inc<Hnmoded  me  by  keeping  the  sun 
from  my  house  part  of  the  forenoon;  for  which  I  agreed 
to  pay  him  seventy-three  dollars  uid  thirty<4hree  cents, 
in  three  years,  with  interest.  This  turned  out  a  trou- 
blesome afihir  for  me,  for  when  I  came  to  pay  the  inter- 
est the  second  year,  the  note  was  more  than  when  first 
S'yen,  having  been  altered;  and  I  refused  to  pay  any 
ing.  When  the  note  became  due,  I  would  pay  no 
more  than  what  it  was  given  for,  and  it  was  sued  and  my 
cattle  and  horses  were  attached.  It  went  through  a 
course  of  law,  and  cost  us  both  a  great  deal  of  expense 
and  trouble;  but  I  finally  beat  him;  he  lost  his  note  and 
I  recovered  damage  for  his  taking  my  c«ttle  and  horses. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  nmy  thing  to  do  with  the 
law,  and  in  the  whble  it  cost  me  about  one  hundred  dol- 
lars; but  it  was  a  good  lesson,  and  has  been  worth  to  me 
the  Oxpense. 

When  my  second  dau^ter  was  about  two  years  old 
she  was  taken  sick,  and  had  what  is  called  the  canker- 
rash.  Dr.  BUse,  who  lived  on  my  farm,  was  sent  for,  and 
he  said  she  hgd  that  disorder  as  bad  as  any  one  he  ever 


Of  Simml  3%<NiiMii. 


39 


;  ini 
could 
(red  on 
d  with 
of  my 
a  di- 
gs Mid 


MW.  He  Uied  hi*  vtmoit  dull  to  prevent  patrefitotion, 
wbieh  be  feared  would  take  place;  but  after  usioff 
every  exertioift  an  bii  power,  witbout  doing  her  any  gooo, 
he  said  he  could  do  no  more,  die  must  die.  She  was 
senseless,,  and  the  canker  was  to  be  seen  in  her  movlh, 
nose,  and  ears,  and  one  of  her  ejres  was  covei;ed  witli  j^ 
and  closed;  the  other  began  to  swell  and  turn  puj^le 
«l8o..e4 1  askedthedfetor  u  becoiUdinot  keep  the,cj|j»- 
k<Br  out  of  this  ojro;  but  he  said  it  would  be  Of  no  uipe, 
for  she  could  not  live.  I  told  him  that  if  he  could  do 
no  more,!  would  try  what  I  oould  do  myself  I  fimnd 
tbat  if  the  canker  lumld  not  be  stopped  ^ounediatO|y,  abe 
would  be  blind  with  both  vfea.  She  was  so  diitressed 
f(Nr  breath  that  she  would  spring  straight  up  on  end  in 
struggluig  to  breathe.  I  sat  myself  in  a  chair,  ,fiid  h^ 
her  in  my  lap,  ai4  put  a  blanket  roimd  us  both;  then 
my  wife  held  a  hoi  spider  or  shovel  between  my  ieet,.a|i4 
I  poured  on  vinagar  to  faiso:  a  steam,  and  kept  it  as  hot 
as  I  Ibund  ,shi»  could  ba>ar,  channog  ^bem  as  soon  as  they 
be^iame  coldf  aiid  by  ^Jowiag  Inii  plan  for  about  twiinir 
numitep,  she  became  comfortiyble  voA  breathed  easy.  \ 
kept  a  dotii  we|  with  coU  water  on  her  eyes,  ehanging 
it  often,  aa  it  grew  warm.  I  followed  this  Ulan,  steam- 
ing her  every  two  hours,  for  about  a  week,  when  she 
begaa  to  gain.  Her  eyes  came  open,  and  the  one  thiU 
was  the  i^orst,  was  completely  covered  with  canker,  apd 
was  as  white  as  paper.  I  used  a  wash  of  rosemary,  to 
take  off  the  canker;  and  when  the  scale  came  off,  the 
siffht  came  out  with  it;  and  it  entirely  peridied.  The 
other  eye  was  saved,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  who  saw 
her,  particularly  the  doctor,  who  used  frequently  to  call 
to  see  how  she  did.  He  said  she  was  saved  entirely  by 
the  plan  I  had  pursued,  and  the  great  care  and  attention 
paid  to  her.  She  entirely  recovered  from  the  diseasa, 
with  the  exception  of  the  loss  of  one  eye,  and  has  en- 
joyed good  health  to  this  time.  This  was  the  first  of  my 
finding  out  the  plan  of  steaming  and  using  cold  water. 
After  this  I  found  by,  experience  that  by  piUtiag  a  hot 
stone  into  a  thing  of  hot  water,  leaving  it  partly  out  of 
the  water,  and  then  pouring  vinegar  on  the  stone,  .was 
an  improvement.  Care  sho«ild  be  taken  not  to  raiae  the 
heat  too  fast;  and  I  used  to  put  a  cloth  wet  with  cold 
3* 


m 


Mfli»Miteof  ihtBfe,  8fc. 


Wit^  on  the  stofAiieh,'  nt  the  rame  fim*  giving  het  inedi- 
eine  to  raise  the  heat  ihMdb;  and -when  tiiey  had  bieen 
stvamed  id  shis  mtonek'  eo  long  as  I  thoii|^  they  could 
beHr  it,  then  rtth  thek  all  oVer  with  a  ek>th  wet  wMi 
np^\  vim^pcvy  of  cOM  wKteir,  change  their  blothea  and 
bed^dotheiil,  and  thehM  then! ffd tolled. 

A'lAi<Mlii]ll^^e«Mr«'thkiAi^  my  oldest 

sm'Wtd  bdrn,  ahd'Wtlii^V^ry  weakly  in  coneequence  et' 
hii'^h^r^  hailing  p^etiiiMie  to  hie  birth,  what  i#  called 
a  tme^  mirths'  ^rtf,  #hich  ei^tiMtif  gave  me  a 
p^  gooff  kn<ywl^d|^e  t>f  tfi^  practice  df  the  doctors  in 
pr($loti|(<pg  a  disease^  ibr  I  nerercotrfd  rMioneile  thi§tK 
to  th^  i^a,  that  a  doctor  conld  be  of  ^  use,  #'the 
ftvet  nnist  have  its  CoUMe,  and  nature  htn  to  perfonn 
th«  ctilr^,  at  th0  Same  tfaode  the  doctor  gets  hia  pay'ttad 
th#^r«dk  of  it.  If  the  patielit*^  consliltttion  is  so  strong 
M  to  enabte  th^tii  to'S^g}^  againsi  1^  operoti^ii  Of 
tti«  inedicfake  tod  the  dSsom^,tfae3ririn  recover;  but  if 
n6(,  thCy  run  down  ki  Whtit  the  ddictoln  caH  a  gaUbpins 
ctMisttmption.  Thci  dbcitor  |frO«^d^d  in  this  way^#ith 
taiy  wife,  until  I  Wai  satisfied  of  his  plan,  when  I  ioter- 
IbrM  and  ^smisscd  hitn.  As  soon  as  she  left  off  tahiAg 
his  niedtcine,  she  begtmjrradually  to  gkin  her  healthy 
and  isottii  got  abouti '"*"'^  '^k'-^-"'^f*^^'>'^-'ff  ■■'■■>'■*  **>*»  ^fi 

When  this  son  >rii  %bb^  liit  we%1»  oM,  he  limits  it^ 
Vkcked  with  the  croup,  or  rattles.  He  was  taken  a  little 
before  sunset  with  a  hoarseness,  was  very  much  chig- 
god  ^ith  phleem,  and  breathed  with  so  much  difficirfty, 
tnM  he  could  be  he^rd  aU  over  the  house.  I  sent 
for  (he  doctor,  and  hie  attended  him  till  about  ten  o'clock 
at  night  without  doing  him  any  good,  and  then  went 
away,  saying  that  he  would  not  five  till  morning.  Aiter 
he  was  gone,  I  was  again  obliged  to  call  on  the  mother 
of  intention,  and  try  what  I  could  do  myself.  I  search- 
ed the  house  for  Si>nie  rattlesnake's  Oil,  and  wa«^  so 
fbrtunate  as  to  finid  about  three  or  four  drops,  which  1 
inuMdiately  gave  him,  and  it  loosened  the  phlegin,  and 
he  0oon  began  to  breathe  easy;  by  dose  attention 
i^r^gh  the  night,  the  child  was  quite  comfortable  in  the 
i^iH9m.  ^e  doctor  came  in  the  next  dajr  taoA  ex- 
l^fljffHqT  great  astonishment  on  finding  the  child  aKte; 
fn^  WW  anxious  to  know  by  what  means  he  had  bee»re» 


Of  aamml  Tkmtm. 


91 


■■'AU 


Ifoved  from  so  diespcifat*  H  iila«lioB.  On  my  ihfenning 
him,  ke  seemed  well  {rfeand  with  Uie  inferraatmi ;  and 
obaerved  that  he  was  wilKng  to  allow,  that  the  greatest 
knowledge  tliat  doctors  erer  ohtained  was  either  by  ac- 
cident or  throiiigh  neoeseily.  So  the  discovery  of  a  eare 
for  this  despen^e  disease  by  necessity,  was  of  erMt  nse 
bodi  to  me  and  the  doctor;  notwithstanding,  however, 
the  io^rmation  he  gained  of  me,  instead  of  giving  me 
credit  for  it,  he  charged  me  for  his  uselese  visit. 

.  I  was  in  the  habit  at  this  time  of  gathering  and  pre- 
serving in  the  proper  season,  all  kinds  of  medicd  herbs 
and  roots  that  I  was  acquainted  with,  in  order  to  be  able 
at  all  times  to  prevent  as  well  as  to  cure  disease;  for  I 
found  by  experience,  that  one  ounce  of  preventicm  was 
better  than  a  pound  of  cure,  (hily  the  sunple  article  of 
majrweed,  when  a  person  has  taken  a  bad  cold,  by  talcing 
a  atron|(  cup  of  the  tea  when  cou^  to  bed,  will  prevent 
more  disease  in  one  i^lil,  witn  one  cent's  expense,  than 
would  tfe  cured  by  tie  doctor  in  one  montn,  and  one 
hundred  dotlars  expense  in  their  charges,  apothecaries' 
drugs,  and  nurses. 

I  had  nbt  the  most  distant  idea  at  this  time  of  ever 
engaging  in  the  practice  of  medUcine,  more  than  to  as- 
sist my  own  family;  and  little  ikA  I  think  what  those 
severe  trialii  imd  sufferings  I  emerienced  in  the  cases 
that  have  been  mentioned,  and  iniich  i  was  drove  to  by 
necessity,  were  to  bring  about.  It  seemed  as  a  judg- 
ment upon  me,  that  either  myself  or  family,  or  scnne  one 
living  with  me,  were  sick  most  of  the  time  the  doctor 
lived  on  my  farm,  which  was  about  seven  years.  Since 
I  have  had  more  experience,  and  become  better  acquaint- 
ed with  the  subject,  I  am  satisfied  in  my  o^vn  mind  of 
the  cause.  Whenever  any  of  the  family  took  a  cold,  the 
doctor  was  sent  for,  who  would  always  either  bleed  or 
give  physic.  Taking  away  the  blood  reduces  the  heat, 
and  gives  power  to  &e  cold  they  had  taken,  which  in- 
creases the  disorder,  and  the  coldness  of  the  stomach 
causes  canker;   the  physic  drives  all  the  determining 

powers  from  the  surface  inwardly,  and  scatters  the 
canker  through  the  stomach  and  bowels,  which  holds 
the  GoM  inside,  and  drives  the  heat  on  the  outside. 
The  consequence  is,  that  penq^iration  ceases^  because 


m 


Jfmrrtitmof  At  Idfti  Sfc. 


internal  heat  ia  the  aola  canae  <tf  thie  importaofc  eyacuar 
tion;  and  a  settled  fever  tnkeaplace,  whioh  will  eeotiBue 
aa  long  as  the  c(4d  keeps  the  upper  hand.  My  expe* 
rience  has  taught  ma  that  by  giving  hot  medicine,  the 
internal  heat  was  increased,  anid  by  applying  the  steam 
externally,  the  natural  perspiration  was  restored;  and  by 
giving  medicine  to  clear  the  stomach  and  bowels  flmn 
canker,  till  the  cold  is  driven  out  and  the  heat  returns, 
which  is  the  turn  of  the  fever,  they  will  recover  the  di- 
gestive powers,  so  that  food  will  keep  the  heat  where  it 
naturally  belongs,  whidi  is  the  fuel  that  c<Hitinues  the 
fire  or  hie  of  man.  <   . 

After  the  doctor,  who  lived  on  my  ferm,  moved  away, 
I  had  very  little  sickness  in  my  family.  On  the  birth 
of  mv  second  son,  which  was  about  two  years  firom 
the  birth  of  the  first  son,  we  had  no  occasion  for  a 
doctor;  tty  wife  did  weUi;  wd  the  child  was  much  more 
healthy  than  the  others  bad  be<^ ;  and  I  have  never 
emplepred  a  doctor  wnee;  for  I  had  found  firom  sad 
experience,  that  they  made  much  more  sickness  than 
thev  cured.  Whenever  any  of  my  femily  were  sie|(,  I 
had  no  difficulty  in  restoring  them  to  health  by  such 
means  as  were  within,  my  own  knowledge.  Ap  fast  as 
mv  children  arrived  at  yean  of  discretion,  I  inirtruct- 
M  them  how  to  relieve  themselves,  and  they  have  all 
enjoyed  good  health  ever  since.  If  parents  would  adopt 
the  same  plan,  and  depend  more  upon  themselves,  and 
less  upon  the  doctors,  they  would  avoid  much  sickness 
in  their  families,  as  well  as  save  the  expense  nttending 
the  employment  of  one  of  the  regular  j^ysicians,  when- 
ever any  trifling  sickness  occurs,  whose  extravagant, 
charges  is  a  grievous  and  heavy  burthen  upon  the  peor 
pie.  I  shall  endeavor  to  instruct  them  all  m  my  power, 
by  giving  a  plain  and  clear  view  of  the  experience  I 
have  had,  that  they  may  benefit  by  it.  If  they  do  not, 
the«feult  will  not  be  mine,  for  I  shall  have  done  my  duty. 
I  am  certain  of  the  fact,  that  there  is  medicine  enough 
in  the  country,  within  the  reach  of  every  one,  to  cure 
all  the  disease  incident  to  it,  if  timely  and  properly  ad- 
ministered. 

At  the  birth  of  our  third  son,  my  wife  was  i^ain  givea 
over  by  the  midwife.    Soon  after  the  child  was  bom» 


Of  Sammel  Thomatm. 


givea 
born,. 


8h«  wai^tdcen  with  a^ue  fit«  tnd  cramp  in  the  itoniach; 
she  was  in  great  pain,  and  we  were  much  alarmed  at 
her  situation.  I  proposed  giving  her  some  medicines, 
but  the  midwife  was  much  opposed  to  it;  she  said  she 
wished  to  have  a  doctor,  and  the  sooner  the  better.  I 
immediately  sent  for  one,  and  tried  to  persuade  h«r  to 
give  something  which  I  tiiought  would  roheve  my  wife 
until  the  doctor  could  come;  but  she  objected  to  it, 
saying  that  her  case  was  a  very  difficult  one,  and  would 
not  allow  to  be  trifled  with;  she  said  she  was  sensible 
of  ^he  dangerous  situation  my  wife  was  in,  for  not  one 
out  of  twenty  lived  through  it,  and  probably  she  woirid 
not  be  alive  in  twenty-four  hours  from  that  time.  We 
were  thus  kept  in  suspense  until  the  man  returned  and 
the  doctor  could  not  be  found,' and  there  was  no  other 
within  six  miles.  I  then  came  to  the  determination  of 
hearing  to  no  one's' advice,  any  longer,  but  to  pursue  my 
own  plan.  I  told  my  wife,  that  as  the  midwife  said  she 
could  not  live  more  than  twenty-four  hours,  her  life 
could  not  be  cut  short  more^than  that  time,  therefore 
there  would  be  no  hazard  in  trymg  what  I  could  do  to 
relieve  her.  I  gave  her  somi^  warm  medicine  to  raise 
the  inward  heat,  and  then  appUed.the  steam,  which  was 
very  much  opposed  by  the  imdwife;  but  I  -lersisted  in  it 
according  to  the  best  of  my  judgment,  and  relieved  her 
in  about  one  hour,  after  she  had  laid  in  that  situation 
above  four  hours,  without  any  thing  being  done.  The 
midwife  expressed  a  great  deal  of  astonishment  at  the 
success  I  had  met  with,  and  said  that  I  had  saved  her 
life,  for  she  was  certain  that  without  the  means  I  had 
used,  she  could  not  have  lived.  She  continued  to  do  . 
well,  and  soon  recovered.  This  makes  the  fiflth  time  I 
had  applied  to  the  mother  of  invention  for  assistance,  and  ' 
iti  all  of  them  was  completely  successful. 

These  things  began  to  be  taken  some  notice  of  about 
this  time,  and  caused  much  conversation  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. My  assistance  was  called  for  by  some  of  the 
neighbors,  and  I  attended  several  cases  with  good  .suc- 
cess. I  had  previous  to  thin  time,  paid  some  attention 
to  the  farrier  business,  and  had  been  useful  in  that  line. 
This,  however,  gave  occanon  for  the  ignorant  and  cred- 
ulous to  ridicule  me  and  laugh  at  those  whom  I  attend- 


^  AWroiive  of  tlu  Itfe,  Sfc, 

ed;  but  th^ae  things  had  littl«  weight  with  i^e*  for  I 
had  no  other  object  in  view  but  to  be  eerviceable  to 
my  fellow  creatures,  and  I  was  toe-  firmly  fixed  in  my 
determination  to  pursue  that  oourse,  which  I  consid* 
ered  was  pointed  out  as  my  duty,  by  the  experience 
and  many  hard  trials  I  had  suffiired,  to  be  deterred  by 
the  foolish  remarks  of  the  eavioos  or  mfdicious  part  of 
society. 

The  last  sickness  of  my  wife,  I  think  took  place  in 
the  year  1799,  and  about  two  years  after  she  had  another 
son  nnd  did  well,  making  five  sons  that  she  had  in  luo- 
cession;  she  afterwards  had  another  daughter,  which 
was  the  last,  making  eight  children  in  the  whole  thU 
she  was  the  mother  of;  five  sons  and  three  daughters. 
I  mention  these  particulars,  in  order  that  the  reader  may 
the  better  understand  many  things  that  took .  place  in 
my  family,  which  will  give  sqme  idea  of  the  experience 
and  trouble  I  had  to  encounter  in  bringing  up  so  large 
a  family,  especially  with  'the  many  <tnals  I  had  to  go 
through  in  the  various  ci^s  of  sickness  and  troubles, 
which  are  naturally  attendant  on  all  faL<>iUes,  and  of 
which  I  had  a  very  large^  share.  The  knowledge  and 
experience,  however,  which  I  gained  by  these  trying 
scenes,  1  ha>-e  reason  to  be  satisfied  with,  as  it  has  prov- 
ed to  be  a  blessing,  not  only  to  me,  but  many  hundreds 
who  have  been  relieved  firom  sickness  and  distress  through 
my  means;  and  I  hope  and  trust  that  it  will  eventually 
be  the  cause  of  throwing  off  the  veil  of  ignorance  from 
the  eyes  of  the  good  people  of  this  country,  and  do  away 
the  blind  confi&nce  they  are  so  much  in  the  habit  of 
placing  in  those  who  cidl  themselves  physicians,  who 
fare  sumptuously  every  day;  living  in  splendor  and 
magnificence,  supported  by  the  impositions  they  prac- 
tise upon  a  deluded  and  credulous  people ;  for  they  have 
much  more  regard  for  their  own  interest  than  they 
have  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  those  who  are 
so  unfortunate  as  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  them. 
If  this  was  the  worst  sid^  of  the  picture,  it  might  be 
borne  with  more  patience;  bul  their  practice  is  altogeth- 
er experimental,  to  try  the  effect  of  their  poisons  upon 
the  constitutions  of  their  patients,  and  if  they  happen 
to  give  more  than  nature  can  bear,  th^  either  die  or 


Of  Stmml  Thornton. 


M 


prac- 
y  have 
they 
Ko  are 
them. 
;ht  be 
ogcth- 
upon 
appen 
die  or 


become  miiefable  inTklkIt  the  reit  «yf  their  livei,  and 
their  fnends  console  thenwelves  with  the  idea  that  it- 
is  th«  will  of  God,  «nd  it  is  their  duty  to  submit;  the 
doctor  gets  well  paid  for  his  services,  and  that  is  an  end 
of  the  tragedy.  It  may  be  thought  by  some  that  this  is 
a  highly  colored  picture,  and  that  I  am  uncharitable 
to  apply  it  to  all  who  practise  as  physicians;  but  the 
truth  of  the  statements,  as  respects  what  are  called  reg- 
ular physicians,  or  those  who  get  diplomas  from  the 
medical  society,  will  not  be  doubted  by  any  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  subject,  pmd  will  throw  aside  preju^ 
dvoe  and  reflect  seriously  upon  it— those  "^om  the  coat 
fits  I  am  willing  should  wear  it.  There  are,  however, 
many  physicians  within  my  knowledge,  who  do  not  fol- 
low the  fashionable 'mode  of  practice  of  the  day,  but 
are  governed  by  their^own  judgments,  and  make  use  of 
the  vegetable  medicine  of  oi}r  own  country,  with  the 
mode  of  treatment  most  consistent  with  nature;  and 
what  is  the  conduct  of  those'  who  have  undertaken  to 
dictate  to  the  people  how  and4iy  whom  ihBy  shall  be  at- 
tended when  sick,  towards  them?'  Why,  means  that 
woald  disgrace  the  lowest  dreg;  of  socie^,  that  savages 
would  not  be  guilhr  of^  are  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of 
injuring  them,  and  destroying  their  credit  with  the  public. 
I  have  had  a  pretty  large  share  of  this  kind  of  treatment 
from  the  facuhy,  the  particulars  of  which,  and  the  suf- 
ferings I  have  undergone,  will  Ue  given  in  detail  in  the 
course  of  this  darrative: 

Sometime  in  the  month  of  November,  1803,  my  chil- 
dren had  the  measles,  and  some  of  them  had  them  very 
bcul.  The  want  of  knowing  how  to  treat  them  gave  me 
a  great  deal  of  trouble,  much  more  than  it  would  at  the 
present  time,  for  experience  has  taught  me  that  they 
are  very  easy  to  manage.  One  of  the  children  took  the 
disease  and  gave  it  to  the  rest,  and  I  think  we  had  four 
dovm  with  them  at'  the  same  time.  My  third  son  had 
the  disorder  very  bad;  they  would  not  come  out,  but 
turned  in,  and  he  became  stupid.  The  canker  was 
much  in  the  throat  and  mouth,  and  the  rosemary  would 
have  no  effect.  Putrid  symptoms  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  i  was  under  the  necessity  of  inventing  some- 
thing for  that,  and  for  the  canker.    I  used  the  steam  of 


86 


J^an^iw  of  Ike  Uft,  9fe. 


. 


rincgar  Xo  guard  aciiMt  putrefootian,  and  gold  thread, 
or  yellow  root,  with  red  oidi  aeonui  pounded  and  eteep- 
ed  together,  for  the  canker.  These  had  the  denred 
effect;  and  \xj  dose  attention  he  soon  got  hotter.  The 
•econd  eon  wae  then  taken  down  pretty  muoh  in  the 
same  manner,  and  I  pursued  the  same  mode  of  treat- 
ment, with  similar  success;  but  the  disease  had  so  af- 
fected his  lungs,  that  I  feared  it  would  leave  him  in  a 
consumption,  as  was  the  case  with  my  mother.  He 
could  not  speak  loud  for  three  weeks.  I  could.get  noth- 
ing that  would  hdlp  him  f<Nr  some  time,  till  at  last  1  gave 
him  several  portions  of  the  emetic  herb,  which  relieved 
him  and  he  soon  got  well.  During  this  sickness  we  su^ 
fered  much  from  fiitigue  and  want  of  sleep;  for  neiUier 
my  wife  nor  myself  hul  bur  clothes  V>ff  for  twelve  nijglUs. 
This  was  a  good  fortniffht's  school  to  me,  in  which  I 
learned  the  nature  o{  th^  measles;  and  found  it  to  be 
canker  and  putiefectum.  This  experience  enabled  me 
to  relieve  many  others  in  this  disease,  and  likewise  in 
the  canker-rash;  in  thesiB,two  disorders,  and  the  small 
pox,  I  found  a  looking<^Ia(M,  in  which  we  may  see  the 
nature  of  every  other  oniease.  I  had  tiie  snuul  pox  in 
the  year  1798,  and  examined  its  f^mptonis  with  all  the 
skill  I  was  capable  of,  to  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  dis- 
ease; and  found  that  it  was  the  hi^est  stage  of  canker 
and  putrefaction  that  the  human  qrstem  was  capable  of 
receiving;  the  measles  the  next,  and  the  canker-rash  the 
third;  and  other  disorders  partake  more  <Mr  less  of  the 
same,  which  I  am  satisfied  is  a  key  to  the  whole;  for  by 
knowing  how  to  cure  this,  is  a  general  rule  to  know  how 
to  cure  all  other  cases;  as  the  same  means  that  will  put 
out  a  large  fire  will  put  out  a  candle. 

Soon  after  my  fiuaiily  had  got  well  of  the  measles,  I 
was  sent  for  to  see  a  woman  by  the  name  of  Redding, 
in  the  neighborhood.  She  had  been  for  many  years 
afflicted  with  the  cholic,  and  could  get  no  relief  firom 
the  doctors.  I  attended  her  and  found  the  diiorder  was 
caused  by  canker,  and  puisued  the  plan  that  my  former 
ea^rience  had  taught  me,  which  relraved  her  from  the 
pan,  and  so  for  removed  the  cause  that  she  never  had- 
another  attack  of  the  disease.  In  this  case  the  cure 
was  10  flimpty  and  easily  performed,  that  it  became  a 


t 

Pf  JoMMcl  Ihctmott.  4tl 

«ob]ect  pt  t'tikmMf  for  when  ahe  wm  Mli«d  «bo«t  M, 
she  was  aahamed  td  my  th«t  \  oared  her.  The  populir 
practice  of  the  pliyaiciMit  had  so  nileh  mflueiioe  en  the 
minds  of  the  people,  that  they  thought  nothinc  oouM  be 
right  hnt  what  was  done  bf  Ihen.  I  attended  in  this 
ftmily  for  several  years,  and  always  answered  the  de- 
sired pmrposet  but  iny  practice  was  so  siin|ito,  ibnt  it 
was  not  wwfthy  of  notice,  and  being  dissatisfted  with 
the  treatment  I  received,  I  refbsed  to-do  any  thing  moie 
for  them.  After  this  they  employed  the  more  fanMon- 
able  practitioners,  who  were  ready  enough  to  make  tlie 
most  of  a  job,  and  they  had  sicknesi  and  expense  enougfh 
to  satisfy  them,  ibr  one  of  the  sons' was  soon  nUer  thkMn 
sick  and  was  given  over  by  the  doctor,  Who  left  him  to 
die*,  but  after  he  left  off  giving  him  medicine  he  salt  well 
of  himself,  and  the  doctor  ndt  only  had  the  credit  of  it, 
but  ibr  this  job  and  one  other  similar,  his  eharff«s 
amounted  to  over  one  hundred  dollars.  Tins  Matisfted 
me  of  the  foolishness  of  the  people,  whose  prefudioes 
ere  alnlays  in  fhvor  of  any  tlnng  that  is  fhshionaUe,  or 
that  is' done  by  those  who  profMs  great  learning;  nnd 
prefer 'kmg  sickness  and  great  expense,  if  done  in  this 
way,  to  A  tiimide  nnd  naturaf  relii^f,  witii  a  trifling  ex- 
pense." ■■■•»  ■ 

Soon  after  this,  I  was  called  on  to  attend  a  Mra. 
Wetherbee,  ni  the  netgbboihood,  who  had  'the  same 
disorder.  She  had  been  aflliM^  with  the  chdie  for 
several  years,  having  periodicnnhims' of  it  about  once  a 
month;  hiid  been  under  the  care  of  a  number  -of  doc- 
tors, who  had  used  all  their  skill  without  aflbrding  heV 
any  relief,  excepting  a  temporary  one  by  ttupif^ing  her 
with  opium  and  giving  physic,  which  kej^  her  alone  till 
nature  could  wear  it  off,  when  she  irould  get  a  little 
better  ibr  a  few  days,  and  then  bdve  Another  turn.  A^ 
ter  hearing  of  my  curing  Mn.  Redding,  th^y  sent  for 
me;  I  gave  her  mv  medicine  to  remove  the  csdtiker,  ani) 
steamed  her,  which  gave  relief  in  one  hour.  She  had  ii 
veiv  large  faauly  to  attend  to,  having  thirteen  <^h?ldren, 
nnd  before  she  had  recovered  her  strength  she  exposed 
herself  and  had  another  turn;  I  attended  again  and 
relieved  her  in  the  same  manner  as  before;  but' she 
coidd  not' wait  till  she  gained  her  strength,  and  exposed 
4 


as 


Mmtiii»4  ofthMfotiSfc. 


h 


f 


hei^elf  again >fu»1»«for4,  UM^fCojId  aii4  hwd  aiko^h^r  turn. 

Her  husband  said,!  cniy  veliev^d  h«r  for,t)l»e  time,  but 

•did  not  jremove  lUlio  •  cauae,  and  being  dif^ajtisfied  with 

,i(«M  i,  hi«d>  done,  her '»ent :  for.  a.  doctor  to  i^niove,  tthe 

OfiUfKB ;  iKAQ  civried  ber  (Ihrqugb  9..  connse  <^  ,phji|ic,  and 

rednoed  Wr  10  low,  ti»at  ah^  bngei<)d  oleng  for  i^igbt 

iw#«h8,  )H»ing  unable  to  doi.anytbingi  the>.wM^  !tiP>^* 

{^lexitbfn  4^ided,,tbfit;;fibe  b«d  t|i«  cMietnnptAon,  »nd 

.)g«v^.h4lliover  to,die.r  ^Aftorithe  doctcurB|hA4>Mt  ber  in 

.tjb4W>«i(uati4Hl  an  ineurltble,  she  appUfidiagMntome;  bpt 

J  deolinedt  doing  a^  tbingi;for  hert  9»,l,i(new  beroase 

w«uA'<mneb  >nior$  >  dt^cttU  thitnat/wii^  [before  ^  np^lied 

lip.!jtbe^d9!CtQr,^and,'iffX.should  fail  4a  Q\iring.her,  the 

bliune  9ir<^d:  all  be  laid  to:  nie ,  or  if  fibe  got  ^\  I  tphpuld 

|[et  no  ccediit  by  it<)  £>«  whteh  reaaooj  I.i^lt  very  nnwill- 

mg  to  .do  <  aay  Ibing  ihx  her.    Al^er  ;  fimahing  my  £bre- 

.noon'jBv  work,  im  going  home  to  dinner,  >I  found  her  at 

my.hiiHisei,  waiting  n>r;me,  and.  ahe.insisted  so  much  upon 

niy  underteking  to  cure  ber,  and  neemed  to  have  so 

.much  fiathinmy  beii^  able  to  doit,  tbatl  at;49^^  tpld 

hf^r.  if^he  would  come  ;^  my  house  nnd  st«y,wi(h,my 

.Yrif%  who  was  sick  nt  the^liiqei  J  would  do.th^  ^st  I 

.cctuld  to.cure  h^.    She  leadilyiC0Aienl;edvVid  9^id  but 

three  days  with  us;   during  which  time  I  pursued  my 

u^Mfil  iptoii:  ;Qf  treatment,  g»ving  her  ithingntto  .remove 

this,  cwifier,  and  :  steaming'  •  to :  produc^et  a  naturid  perspi' 

ri^ticin;,  «.t  ,the  end  ol^^fthree  Jaya  ishe  'Wei^  fhome, 

taking  ^ynii^  her  sometilMicuier  with  dir^ctioAB  what  to 

jdoifor  h9(«9)|;  and  in  a  Ktiort  timo  entirely  rftooiverfd  her 

h«iakh.    U  le«9  ^n  a  year  after,  she  hftd  another  child, 

which  <wfWi^ooaohiBi(m  of  her  having  ^Idrwti  qr  the 

tQ^oti^  and.  #h«^^V9r  after  enjoy^  as  good,  henlth  ns  itny 

Wio^an  iujthe  n^ghborhood;  but  i&is  cure  wa»  don9»  in 

jpp  uniash^onableAw^,  thatthey  were  haid^  wilUng  to 

^i^knpwledg^  itj  lah^  m^y  would  not  apply  to  me  fbr  re- 

lirf,  when  anyof  thw  femilywere  siok,itiJl„they;hi»d 

tf4il04ingettingitin,any  other  way.  t      , 

In  about  a  y»ar  after  thcKahoKe .  ca«9,  tone ,  flf  this 
iamilyt^  a^oung  men  about  sixteen  year*  .old,  tWfts  at- 
taffked  with  a  fever;  ithe  doctor  was  sent  fo«,  who^tM- 
lowed  the  fashiom^ble ,  course  of  practice,  and  ireduced 
ihivi  with  mercury  and  other  poisonfl,  so  that  he  linger'* 


Of  Skimta  TVmmoii.; 


9» 


fU^alhaif  i<x  three  wrfour  tnoirtfaflj.  ooiutantly  f^wtnac 
worse,  tiU'tke  decil»F  t^aA>  k  was  «  rheumatic  iever,  and 
afterwvrdi'thaChe  wasin  adeeline. .  H<li  had  takes  go 
mttch  mereurf  that  i|ihed>  aettled  is  hw  back  aad  kapa^ 
4nd  'WBlB  ao-stiff'that  he  could)  aot  brings  hm  kandaknlraT 
tiian  his  kneea.  •  By  thia  tine^'  die  dbct<Hr  had  giwem  him 
over  aa  inourablej  and'  he  iwaa'  eonaideMd  as  fit  #ifagect 
for  me  to  uadertake  witiii>  '  They  a^pMed  to  me,vBBd*  I 
agteed  to  take  hiaw  home  to*  my  bouaei,  and;  i  do  tike-  heat 
I  could  to"  ctt#e  him.  <  It  >  wm  a^  difficult'  tasky  for  I  httd 
ki  the  fo8li<place;to  bnng  him  baekto'  tfaeamiie  aitnaiioB 
he  was  in 'when  he  badtiie'&ver,  and  to*  destroy  tke  e§^ 
fects  of  the  poboB,  and  M||iilatis  the  Bjatem  by  steaming; 
to  produce  a  natural  perspira^tt';  by  pursaiaig  tikis'planr, 
and  giving  such  tilings  aa  I  oouldi  get  to*?  restore  the 
digestive  powen^  in  'two  months  he  wb»  completely  m* 
stwed  to  keahh;  for  which  I  reeeived^  but>:five  dollnrac| 
and  this  <  was  more  gnidgulgfy  paid  than  If^hey  had-  given 
ft  doctor  fifty,  without  croii^;  aay;good*atiaU.> 

In  tke  spring  of  the  yeir  1B06; llwas<  sent  for  to  go 
to  Woodsteoky  in  Vermonty  t6  attiend  a  yw«mi  vroraan^ 
who  wa»  considered  in  a  decline^  and  Uie  doctors  could 
not  help  herr  I  found  her  very  low,  not  being  able  to 
set  up'  but  very  little.  I  stiiid'  and  attended!  her  about  a 
week,  and  Umb  left  her,  with  meidteine»  and  directions 
iHliat  to  do,  and  returned  home^  In  about  a  month,  I 
went  again  to  see  her^  and  fottnd  her  much  better,  so 
that  she  was  able  to  ride  to  her  father's,  which  was  above 
twenty  miles.  All  this  time!  1  had)  not  formed  an' idea 
that  I  possessed  any  knowledge  of  disorder  or  of  medi- 
cincf  more  than  whsit  I  had  learned  by  accident;  and':  att 
the  cosea  I  had  attended  were  firom  necessity;)  but  the 
success  I  had  met  with,  and  the  extraordinfury  cures  I 
had  performed,  made  finch  talky  and  weretheaidtof  for 
fif^  iriiles  around.  ..  !^'t<'(iV!'/'>  'i.-ii 'to- '5>.;«fi"»'H!  Mm^  f*(\i 

i  begsoi  tb  be  sent  fiM-  by  the  people  oi  this'  part  of 
the  country  so  muchy  i  that  I  found  it  impossible  la  at*< 
tend  to  my  fartti  and  family  as  I  ought;  for  the  cases  I 
hdd  attended^  I  had  received  very  little  Or  nothing,  nol 
enough  to  ccmipensate  me  for  my  time;  and  I  found  it 
to  be  my  duty  to  give  up  practice  altogetfier,  or  to  make 
a  business  ef  it.;    I  oonsuked  with  my  w^  and  asked 


T' 


49  ^anftm^i  iifAe  LtfefSfc.      , 

^  advice  of  ray  {neniA»y  what,  was  best  for  mia  to  do^ 
they  idl  agre«dy  that'  as  it  seemed  to  be  the  natural  turn 
of  my  mind)  if  I  thoii^t  myself  capable  of  such  an 
important  undertdcingy  il  woiikl  be  best  to  let  my  own 
judgment  goy^n  me,  and  to  do  as  I  thought  best.  I 
matuBoly  weired  the  matter  in  my  mind^  and  viewed 
it  as  the  grendtest  trust  that  any.  4ne  could  engage  in.  I 
considered  my  wtatt  of  learning  and  my  ignorance  of 
raadkiad)  whush  almost  discouraged:  me  from  the  kindeiV' 
taking;  yet >I  had  a  strong  inclinatioB  for  tiie  practice,  of 
which  it4««eemed  impossible  to>  ^vest;  my,  mind;  and  I 
'  had  always  had  a  very  strong  avermon  to  workiiig  on  a 
farm,:  as  eveiy  thing  of  the  kind  appeared  to  j(n^  to  b^ 
a  burthen;  the  reason  of  which  I  could  not  account  for, 
as  I' had  carried;on  tiiie  business  to  good  advantage,  and 
had  aa  good  a  ftam  as  any  in  the  neighborhood.'  1 
fmally  concluded  to  make  useof  that  gift  wmch  I  thought 
nature^  fit  theGnod  <^  nature,  had  implanted  in  me;  and 
if  I  possessed  such  a  gift,  I  had  na  need  of  learning,  for 
no  (me  dui  learn  that  gift.  I  thought  of  what  SI.  Paul 
says  in  Im  epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  ocmceming  the  dif* 
ferent  gifts  by  the  same  spirit;  one  had  the  gifti  of  pro- 
|»heey;  another,  the  gift  of  healiiig;  another,,  Ith^  work- 
mg  of  miracles.  I  am  satisfied  in  my  own  mind,  that 
every  man  is  made  ttnd  capacitated  for  mate  particular 
pursuit  in  lifis,  in  which,  if  he  engages,  he  will  be  more 
useful  than  he  would  if  he  happens  to  be  so  unfortunate 
as  to  follow  a  calling  or  profession,  that  was  not  conge- 
nial to  his  disposition.  This  is  a  very  important  con- 
sideration for  parents,  not  to  make  their  sons  learn  trades 
or  professions,  iHiich  are  contrary  to  their  inclinations  and 
the  natural  turn  of  their  minds;  for  it  is  certain  if  they 
do,  they  never  can  be  useful  or  happy  in  f<rilowing  them. 
I  am  convinced  myself  that  I  pcHssess  a  gift  in  heahng 
the  sick,  because  of  the  extraordinary  success  I  have 
met  with^  and  the  protection  and  support  I  have  been 
afforded  j  againrt  the  attacks  of  all  my  enemies.  Wheth^ 
I  should  have  been  more  useful  had  it  been  my  lot  to 
have  had  an  education,  and  learned  the  profession  in  the 
fashionable  way,  is  in^ssible  for  me  to  say  with  certain-' 
ty;  probably  I  riiould  have  been  deemed  more  honora- 
ble in  the  world;  but  honor  obtained  by  learnings  withn 


.Of  $0mid  Ikammk^ 


41i 


ou^  ajiBturalgift,  or  eap««lk]r)  can  nevAf!,  iumy  MUM0|^, 
niakiB  amu  vevy  usefitlto  lu»f«UwRr  crtMliirat. .  Jl  wiaji, 
my  rea<l«ra  ta  umfenitaiid  me,  thai  I  4Q<lif4  meMto  qqii« 
vey  the  adeai,  tbaC  leamng  ia  not  aeoeiMry  Mid  MteaUil 
ia  olrtainiiig  a  pro^r  kiiowle4|«  of  any  prjofewiioii  ^Rt 
art;  hut th«li«oiiig  totjtjoUege  wm  maka  A,^iaainaBjQC«< 
fool,  ia  .what  I  aw  ire«d^  to  deny ;  ov/tbai  a  man  oawMfti 
be  usaful  and  even  great  in  a  jprotetpionr  o'  in  tl|«  iM] 
and  sciences,  without,  a  olasewal  leduQatkui,  h'  wiMtl  £> 
think  no  one  vSl  have  the  havdiboed  to .  ntlesipt  to,  wmh  i 
pcHTt,  as  it  is  contrary  tereas9n4nd«oaunp9  mbm.  Wfti 
have  many  emmptea of  someoCtbiB greateiipbiiiNi^pheKiJit 
physicians,,  and  divines  tba  world  ar«r  -.  kiiair»  wbo  w^rtr  > 
enliEely4el^«aught;  and  who, hare  denf  niof»  hnnpis.  an4H 
been  greater  ornaments  to j|o<;inty|tbeAianulU«noCtAOia,,. 
who,  have  nothing  to  reeonunend Ithambut  bnving,  l|heiii« 
head#  cf  ammed  with  learnings  without .  mhp e  mQ«|gK  j  ^ , 
apply  ittoany  greal!ovus6^piiipose,  ...  J  ,,.,.,  ,,,^i. 
Among  the  practising  phywciiiQii^  libnv^  thuml)  Wti 
I  h«lieve.it  to  be  a  w«UlEn«ivn;f»Pt9'^b«l  jk»o»njwb«N|K«<f 
really  great  in  the  professiori^jind  Jhi^vetlind  tbf  mOlt'l^^... 
p^rience,  condemn  .«4>  much  !aa>  I  d«t  thia  Ashi^nnlHe 
mode  of,  practice  of  |hp  .present  ddy,.  and  um  very  W$ri 
medical  poisons,  confining  ithfimselves  in  their  treitm«nit;t 
of  patients  to  simple*  prmcipaUy,  and  thff  una  of  siMhti 
tb}ng9. 1  as  wiU  prometn.  digemen  and  nid  iMUurn  anq^ 
many  of  them  disappnoye*  pl^bleeding  allogathf  r..  T^on«,^ 
of  this  de8cripi9oiiiy,witb  whom  I  «»v&  nad  ai^  nppor^M 
tuniQrto  converse)  h»v«  tvAwted  mf  with  ftU  diKe  Mlaiw.i 
tion  and  Qiititityj.bavei  heard  oi«  with  pleaaur#i,iand^ 
been j^nc^ lonllow  mo  or^t , for  my exparienpe,  ai^dy 
thedifKsoverAes  J  have  made  in  curing  oiseaae.  Th^ 
opp^sitii^  and  abuse  tbfU.  I  have  met  wUhf  haw  beei^ 
umlormly  from  ithose.to  w|w>m  I  tbink  I  «|ta  with  pro^f,. 
V^^jtt  givfi  -thenaom  of  quacks,  pr  ignpront  pret^nderti,' 
as. fdtiheir  merit  consistspin their  aelf-importai^Qa  pupA, 
arrpgant.behaMiouc^towaBdf  aUtbope  who  have  nQ<t  blNl* 
the.adynntages  ofileapaingvan4  a  {degree  at  qoljeg^p 
Thin  classr  composiB  « laf^-  pTPpovtion  of  the  roeflioi^^i 
faculty  ,throuti^out>  our  country >}  th/eybave  lenrn«d  juit , 
enought  to  ki^ow  how/to  deceive  t the  p6qp)fi|,  and  keep., 
them  in  igwKaacoiM.by  .Qfiiv^ering  their  douigiun^er  m„ 

4*  '  ■  '  » 


4d 


JVofi^iHw*  #/  ihe  L^e,  ^c. 


,' 


ulikfi«il»i!i  lUtigiiage  to  th<eir  pttietAB.  ••  There  eanbe  mo* 
good  reason  given  vrhf  «}1  the  technieal  tenni  in  medical 
works  aire  kept  in  m  dead  language,  except  it  be  to  de^ 
ceive  md  keep  tilte  world  ignorant  of  their  doings^  that 
they  nlay  the  better '  itnpose  npon  the  crednHty  of  the 
piedpleribrif'they  were  to  be  mritten  in  oUr  own  lati- 
|^i|fe,  &rttf  body  m^ould junderstaiid  them ^  and  judge  for 
mMiselVeir;  and  their  potsonoue  druss  would  be  tiffown 
into  the  ft^e  befere  theii*  patients  would  take  them.  The 
itMlteitmeiill  thftt  I  htnre  received  from  Ihem,  has  been 
nMstly  Where  I  have  exposed  their  ignorance,  by  curing 
those  they  had  given  ot^r  to  die;  in  Which  cases  th^ 
hate  shown  their  malice  f>y  circulating  ad)  kinds  of  falsei 
and  ridiisuloaK  reports  of  me  and  my  practice,  in  order 
to  desti^ymrf  credit  with  the  people;  and  I  am  sorry  to 
say  that  T  have  fbund  many  too  ready  to  join  with  them,^' 
eVent'«mdiig  those  who  have  been  relieved  by  me  iVom- 
pfin  and  sickness;  Such  ingrMitade  I  can  account  for  > 
id  uo  other  Wat;  'than  by  the  readiness  with  which  the 
people  follow  imileter  ie  fhshionable,  without  reflecting- 
idiether  k  be*  right  or  wrong. 

After  1  had  come  to  the  deteraiinatioa  to  make  a 
bttsihese  of  the  medical  practice,  I  found  it  necessary  to 
fix  upoin'some'system  or  plan  for  my  ftiture  government 
in  the  treatment  of  disease;  for  what  I  had  done  had 
beeti  as  it  Were  from  accident,  and  the  necessity  arismg' 
out  of '  the  particular  ccwes  that  came  under  my  care, 
without  lUiy  fixed  plan;  in  which  I  had  been  governed 
by  my  jui^gment  aud  the  advanteges  I  had  received  from 
letp^rience.  i  deemed  it  necessary,  not  only  as  my  own 
>  guide,  but  that  whatever  discoveries  1  should  mwe  in 
my  practice,  they  might  be  so  adapted  to  my  plan  that 
my  whole  system  might  be  easily  taugin  to  othbrs,  vud 
preserved  for  the  benefit  of- the  world.  I  had  no  other 
a^sistauce  thMri  my  own  observations^  and  the  natural  i 
reflections  of  my  own  mind,  unaided  by  learning  or  the( 
opinions  of  others.  I  took  nature  for  my  guide^  -and- 
experience  as  my  instructor;  and  after  serioosly  con**'; 
Tsidering  every  part  of  the  subject,  I  came  to  certaiti 
^conclusions  concerning  disease,  and  the  whole  animal** 
economy,  which  more  than  forty  years  experience  has 
perfectly  satisfted  me  is  the  only  correct  theory.    My ' 


Of  8mmd  Tkmtom. 


43 


practice  has  invariabty  been  confonnable  to' the  general 
priBciples  upon  which  my  STstem  ia  ibimded,  and  in  no 
instance  have  I  had  reason  to  doubt  the  correctness  of 
its  aj^ieation  to  cure  aU  caaea  of  disease  when  properly 
attenaedto;  for  that  all  disease  is  ihe  effect  of  one  general 
cause,  and  may  be  removed  by  one  general  remedy,  is 
die  foundatbn  upon  which  I  have  erected  my  tabric,  and 
which  I  shaB  endeavor  to  explain  in  aa  clear  and  concise 
a  maimer  aa  I  am  capable,  with  a  hope  that  it  may  be 
underrtood  by  my  readers,  and  that  they  may  be  eon|^ 
vinced  of  its  correctness;  >ii 

I  found,  after  maturely  considering  the  subject,  that 
all  animal  bodies  are  formed  of  the  four  elements,  earth, 
air,  fire,  and  water.  Earth  and  water  constitute  the 
solids,  and  air  and  fire^  or  heat,  are  the  cause  of  life 
and  motion.  That  cold,  or  lessening  the  power  of  heat, 
is  the  cause  of  all  disease;  that  to  restore  heat  to  its 
natund  state,  was  the  only  way  by  which  health  ccmld 
be  produced;  and  that,  after  restorin|f  the  natural  heat, 
by  clearing  thesystem  <^  aU  obstraotions  and  causing  a 
natural  perspiration,  the  stomach  would  d^est  the  food 
taken  into  it,  by  which  means  the  whole  body  is  nour- 
ished and  invigorated,  and  heat  or  nature  is  enabled  to 
hold  its  supremacy;  that  the  constitutions  of  all  mankind 
being  essentially  the  same,  and  diflering  only  in  the  dif- 
ferent temperament  of  the  same  raaterids  or  which  they 
are  composed;  it  appeared  clearly  to  my  mind,  that  all 
dueaae  proceeded  nrom  one  general  cause,  and  might  be 
cured  by  one  general  remedy;  that  a  state  of  perfect 
health  arises  from  a  due  balance  or  temperature'of  the 
four  elMnents;  but  if  it  is  by  any  means  destroyed,  the 
body  is  more  or  less  disordered.  And  when  this  is  the 
case,  there  is  always  an  actual  diminution  or  absence  of 
the  element  of  fire,  or  heat;  and  in  proportion  to  this 
diminution  or  absence,  the  body  is  affected  by  its  oimo- 
site,  u^ich  is  eold.  And  I  found  that  til  disorders  wnich 
the  human  fomily  were  afflicted  with,  however  various 
the  sjrmptoms,  and  diff^ent  the  names  by  which  they  are 
called,  arise  directly  from  obstructed  perspiration,  which 
is  always  caused  by  cold,  or  want  of  heat;  for  if  there  is 
a  natural  heat,  it  is  impossible  but  that  there  must  be  a 
natural  perspiration.  *t 


44 


MmmU94  tf/'<ft«  Life,  dfc. 


Vi 


Havinff  fi«ed  tipon  ^ese  ||eiie<iA  principles,  m  Ihe 
only  solia  foumdafcion  upon  whieh  a  conpeot  and  true  mo 
deratanding  of  tke  snfcgeet  can  b«  foundied,  njr  hext  buiiw 
neM  was  to  ascertain  wbal  kinds  ofmediciBe  and  treats 
teenl  would  best  answer  the  purpose  si.confonnity  to  tfain 
uii^iversal  plan  of  curing  disease;  for  it  must^  I  tbink,  b» 
cci^tainand  self-evident  to  everjr  one^  thi^  whatever  :witti 
ittCMese  the  internal  heat,  remove  all  pbstruclions  <Mf  ther 
system,  restore  the  diges^ve  powers  of  the  stomachy  and 
poduce  a  natural  perspiration,  is  universally  appticaUe! 
m  all  cases  of  disease,  and  therefore  may  be  considered 
as  H.  general  remedy. 

The  first  and  most  important  consideration  waa  to  &id; 
a  medicine  that  would  establish  a  natural  iMernd  heat,, 
so  :as  to  give  nature  its  proper  c<  nmand^  My  emetic 
herb,)  (Nt>t  1,)  I  found  would  ofiectuall^  cleanse;  the 
stomacn,^.  and  would  very  effectually  aid  m^  raising  thai 
hei^rand  promoting  perspiration;  bat  would  not  hold  it 
long  enoi^  to.^ffe^  the  desiied  object,. so  Iwit  that  the 
coldiWould  return  again  and  assume  its  power.  It  was 
]ik»  ■■  a  fire  nmde  j»f  shavings ;  a  tMrong  heat  Sok  &  riM>rt 
time.  Slid  then  ^ll^go  out,  Aftei  mnch  experience-  and; 
trying  every  thupg. within  tnyknjlwledge;  to  eun  this, 
importaat  point,  I  fixed  upon  the  m^sdicine  whi<^  I  have 
called  Nq.  !2,  in^my  pfttent,  for.that  purpose;  and  after 
using  it  ibr  many  yearsy  I  ma  peHectly  convinced  that  it 
is  the  best  thing  that  can  be  made  use  of  to  h<^d  the  heat 
in  the  stomach  until  the  system  can  be  cleared  of  ob^ 
striictions,  so  as  to  produce  a  naturid  digestion  of  the 
food,  which  will  nourish  the  body,  estidbtish  penqpindaon 
and  restore  the  health  of  the  patient.  I  foundit  to  be 
perfectly  sftfe  io  all  cases,  and  never  knew  any;bade& 
fects from  administering  U.  .       nnit    v^av  » 

My  next  grand  object  was  to  get  som<^hing  that 
would  deaf  the  stomach.-  and  bowels  from  canker^ 
which  are' moee  9^  less- afibc^ed  by  it  in  all  cases  of 
disease  to  whidi  the  humail'  family  are  ^  subject.  Can* 
ker  and  pubtefactidh  are  caused  .by  ef4d,  or  want  of 
heat-;  for  whenever'  any  part  of  the  body  is  so  affected 
by  cold  as  to  overpower  the  natural  heat,  putrefaction 
commenpes,  and  tf  not.  checked  by  medicine,,  or  if  the 
natural  constitution  is  not  strong  enough  to  overcome  ita 


Of  Samuel  Tfwman, 


40 


progMM,  it  will  eommunioate  to  the  blood,  when  death 
will  end  the  contest' between  heat  and  cold,  by  deciding 
in  favor  of  the  latter.  I  hare  made  use  of  a  great  many 
articles,  which  are  useful  in  removing  canker;  but  my 
preparation  called  No.  9,  is  the  best  for  that  purpose, 
thAt  has  come  to  my  knowledge;  though  many  other 
things  may  be  made  use  of  to  gmMl  effect,  all  of  which  I 
shall  give  particular  a  description  in  my  general  direc- 
turns  hereafter. 

'  Having  endeavored  to  convey  to  my  readers^  in  a  brief 
manner,  a>co#rect  idea  of  the  general  principles  upon 
which  I  formed  my  system  of  practice,  I  shall  now  give 
some  account  of  the  success  I  met  with  in  the  various 
cases  thai  came  under  my  care,  and  the  diffieulties  and 
opposition  that  I  have  had  to  encounter,  in  maintaining 
it  till  this  time,  against  all  ray  enemies. 

My  general  plan  of  treatment  has  been  in  tAl  cases 
of  disease,  to  cleanse  the  stomach  by  giving  No.  1, 
and  produce  as  great  an  internal  heat  as  I  could,  by 
^ivmg  No.  2y  and  when  necessary,  made  use  of  steam- 
ing, in  which  I  have  alwajrs  foiMBd  great  benefit,  es- 
pecially in  fevers;  after  .this,  I  gave  No.  3,  to  clear 
off  the  canker;  and  in  all  cases  where  patients  had 
not  previously  become  so  far  reduced  as  to  have  nothing 
to  build  upon,  I  have  been  successful  in  restoring  them 
to  health.  I  found  that  fever  was  a  disturbed  state  of 
the  heat,  or  more  properly,  that  it  was  caused  by  the 
efibrts  which  nature  makes  to  throw  off  disease,  and 
therefore  oueht  to  be  aided  in  its  cause,  and  treated  as 
a  friend;  and  not  as  an  enemy,  as  is  the  practice  of  the 
physicians.  In  all  cases  of  disease,  I  have  found  that 
theie  is  more  or  less  fever,  according  to  the  state  of  the 
system;  but  that  all  fevers  proceed  fr<mi  the  same  cause, 
mffering  oidy  in  die  symjpltoms;  and  maybe  managed 
and  brought  to  a  crisis  with  much  less  trouble  than  is 
generally  considered  inracticable,  by  increasing  the  in- 
ternal heat,  till  the  ccld  is  driven  out,  which  is  the  cause 
of  it.  Tims  keeping  the  fountain  above  the  stream,  and 
^very  thing  ^ill  take  ita  natural  course. 

During  the  year  1805,  a  very  alarming  disease  pre- 
vailed in  Alstead  and  Walpole,  which  was  considered  the 


H  NamOm  of  ^  lAfe,  9sc. 

yellbw  fbver,  aad  Svas  fatal  to  many  who  were  sttacked 
by  it.  I  was  called  on,  and  altieiKled  widi'  Tery  great 
success,  not  losing  one  patient  that  I  attended;  at  the 
sainei«time,  nearly  one  half  of  those  who  had  regalsr 

S'lysicians,  diedi  -  This  disease  ^  prevailed  for  about 
itjr  days^  dining '  which  time,  I  was- not'  at  heoae  but 
e^ht  nightii-  I  wasi  obliged  t»  be  nurse  as  well  as 
doctor,  'and  do •eteiy  thiitg  myitelf^  for  the  people  had 
no  knowledge  of  my  mode  of  practice,  and  t  ooidd  not 

f  dep^ndi  upon  what'  any  person  did,'  exobpt  what  was 
under  my  own  immediate' inspection,  i  pursued  the 
sftme  generfldt  i^an  that  |  had  before '  adopted;  bnt  the 
experience  I  hind  from  this  practice,  'suggested  to  me 
tnany  improvdmeats,  which- 1  had  not  before  thought  of^ 
as  respects  the  manner  of  treatment  of  patients  tot  efihot 
tiie  objects  I  aimed>  at  in  curing  the  disease,  which  was 
to  produce  a  natuirai  perspiration.  I  found  great  benefit 
in  steCaming  in  the  nuumtBr  thtit  I  had  discorered  and 
pir^ctised  wkh  my  little  ^Utuffhter;  but  1  fomd  by  ex* 
jrttfience,  that  by  putting  a  not  utone  into- a  slider  or 
iron  basiii,  and  then  wetting  the  top  of  the  stone  with 
vinegar,  was  an  important  imlprovement ;  and  with  this 
Mmple  m^hodj  with  a  little  medidiM  of  my  own  pre- 
paring, answered  <t  much  better  p«nr)M)8e,  tboi  all  the 
irieeding  and  poisonous  physic  of  the  doctors.  While 
I  was  attending  those  who  were  sicfc^  nnd  they  found 
that  niy  mode  of  treatment  relieved  thenv  from  their* 

,._^  distress,  they  Were  very  ready  to  flatter  and  give  great 
credit  for' my  practice;  but  after  I  had  w6m  myself  out 
in  their  service,  they  began  to  think  that  it  was  not  done 
in  8  fashionable  way ;  and  the  doctors  made  use  of  every 
means  in  their  power  to  ridicule  me  and  mypractioe, 
for '  the  purpose  of  maintaining  tlveir  own  credit  With 
the  people;  This  kind  of  treatment  was^a  new  thing 
to  me^  as  I  did  not  iat  that  time  so- weU  understand  the 
oraft,  tts  i  have 'Since,  fiiom  herd  earned  experience. 
The  word  quackery^  when:  used  by  the  dbctior  against 
tne,  was  a  very  important  charm  to  prejudice  the  people 
against  my  practice;  bdt  I  would  ask  all  the  candid 
and  reflectmg  part  <i^  ^e  people,  the  following  ques- 
tidni,  and!  wilHeave  them^toUieir  eontciences- to  give^ 
an  answer;    which  is  the  greatest  quack,  the  one  who* 


wOf  Sfiimel  JhtmKm.J', 


41 


relieves  them  from  their  sickness  by  the  most  simple  and 
safe  means,  without  any  pretensions  to  infallibility  or 
skill,  more  than  what  nature  and  experience  has  taught 
him,  or  ^e  one  who,  instead  of  curing  the  4i8ease,  in^ 
creases  .it  by  adminiatering  poisonous  medicines,  which 
only  tend  4o  furolong  the  distresa  of  the  patient,  till  either 
the  stMngth  >of  his  natural  constitution,  or  detUh  relieves 
ihim?     .  '         : 

I  wad  eaUed  upon  to  att«ndaman  by  the  name  of 
Fairbanks;  who 'lived  in  Walpoie;  he  wfis  taken  iirith 
bleeding  at  the  lungs.,,  I  foundJtiimin.a  very  badconr 
4lition ;  the  family  judged  tlwt  he<  had  ioat  neiar^  ,auc 
quarts  of  blood  in  twenty-four  hours,  tije.  was  iii  desp«ir 
and  had  taken  leiave  of  his  faouly,  j9s  they  considered 
there  was  no  hope  of  his  Uymg.  Thfi  doctor  was  wi^ 
him  when  I  first  entered  the  house;  but  he  fled  at  my 
approach.  Both  .his  legs  were  corded  by  the  .doctor,  w4 
the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  strip  off  the  cords  0rom  ,hw 
legs;  and  then  gave  medicine -to  get  as  ^cei|t  an  internal 
lieat  AS  I  poflsibfy  could  produce;  g<^  htfn  to  sweat  pro- 
fusely; then  gave ^lum  medicine  to  cAear 'the tanker;  and 
itf  four  days  he  was  ,90  well  as  to  be  able  to  go^  out  and 
attend  t(^  bis  businesa.  '  ' 

Sometime  in  )QQtol>er,  1B05, 1. intended  a  Mrs.  Grood- 
ell|  of  Walpole;  «he.  had  been  confined  and  had  .^taken 
cold.  The.modt  noted  doctors  in  the  toxnm  bad  attended 
her  through  w^ot  they  called  ;a  fever,  .and  she  was  then 
pronounced  by  them  to  be  in  a  deoUne.  ■  Afte;r  three 
months  practice  upon  her,  t^ey  had  got^her  into  so  des- 
perate a  ntUjBtwn,  that  they  gave  h^  over,  andsa^  that 
her  case  was  .«o  putrid  and  ulcerated  that  it  was  ;i|tterly 
incurable.  She  had  in  addition  to  the  rest  of  her  diffi«> 
eulties,  o-  cancer  on  her  baek.  In  this  desperate  sitvar 
tion,  it  was  thought  by  her  fiiends  that  she  was  a  prc^r 
subject  for  me  to  undertake  with.  I,  with  agteat  deal 
«^  reluctance,  undertook  with  her  ather  earnest,  solicita- 
tion and  that  of  her  husband;  but  met  with  much  greater 
success  than  I  expected^  la  four  rweeks  jshe  was  able 
to  be  about  ike  house  and  do  some  work. 

la  .the  some  jeni,  I  wa8..8ent  for  to  ittteod  a  woman 
who  had  been  in  .a  idropsiccd  way  for  a  npmiber  of 
years.    The  disease  had  of  late  gaiaed  with  rapid 


m 


JV*«irfl*iM  of  the  l«/e,  Sfc. 


progress.  H«r  husband  had  previously  conversed  with 
me  Upon  the  sufoject,  and  said  that  he  had  applied  to  Dr. 
SparhaWk,  and  others,  and  they  had  agreed  to  make 
a  trial  of  mercury.  I  told  him  the.t  it  wowd  n^t  answer 
the  purpose';  he  said  he  was  afraid  of  it  himseUT;  but  the 
doctors  said  there  was  no  other  possible  way.  The 
doctor  tried  his  merourial  treatm«Dt  for  several  daya^ 
which  very  nearly  proved  fatal;  for  I  was  sent  for 'in 
great  hfi8t<«,  with  a  request  that  I  would  attend  as  soon 
as  possible,  as  they  expected  she  would  not  live  through 
the  day.  I  founa  her  situation  very  distressing;  she 
said  it  appeared  ta  her  that  she  was  full  of  scalding  wa^ 
ter.  SIM  began  to  turn  purple  iA  spots,  and  it  waa  ex- 
pected that  mortification  had  taken  plaoe.  In' the  first 
place,  I  gave  her  about  a  gill  of  checkerberry  and  hem- 
K>ck,  distuled,  which  allayed  the  heat  immediatdy.  This 
toiwered  the  purpose,  till  I. could  clear  her  it<Hnach, 
and  by  the  greatest  exertions,  and  close  attention  through 
the  day,  I  was  enabled  to  relieve  her..  I  attended  her 
for  about  a  week,  and  she  was  so-ftur  recovered  as  to  en>> 
joy  comfortable  heftlth  for  twelve  years. 

Notwithstandmjt  this  desperate  case-  wa«  curiBd ^  to  the 
astoniishment  of  dl  who  witnessed  it-,  the  doctors  had  so 
much  influence  over  the  people,  aadmiide  so  many  false 
stMements  about  it; -that  i'^ot  no  credit  for  the  cure. 
This  woman's  brother  had  said  that-  her  husband  wanted 
to  kilt  her,  or  he  would  not  have  sent  for  ine.  Such  kind 
of  ii^riAitude  wab  discouYaging  to  me^  buC  it  did  not 
prevent  the  (Votn  persevering  in  my  duty.  ^ 

A  short  time  after'  the  above  case  happened,  that 
woman's  brother,  who  made  the  speech  about  me,-  was 
taken  very  sick,  with  what  was  cdled  ^he  yellow  fover, 
and  sent  for  me.  I  attended  him  and  asked  him  if  he 
wanted  to  die.  He  said  no;  why  do  you  ask  that?  I 
told  hiid,  that  I  should  suppose  from  the  speech  he  made 
about  my  being  sent  for  to  his' sister,  that  he  did,  or  he 
wbuld  nbt  have  sent  for  me,  if  he  believed'  his:  owtt 
words.  He  said  he  thougltt  difierently^noW.  I  attended 
him  through  the!  day  with  my  new  practice.  To  sweat* 
him,  I  took  hemlof^k  bouj;h»,  and  put  a  hot  stone  in  the 
middle  of  a  large  bunch  of  them,  wrapping  the  wliole 
in  a  cloth,  and  poured  on  hot  water  till  I  raisisd  a  lively 


Of  SavMul  Thomton, 


49 


«team,  and  then  put  one  at  his  feet  and  another  near  his 
body.  I  gave  him  medicine  to  raise  the  inward  heat, 
and  for  the  canker;  after  attending  him  through  the  day, 
I  went  home;  and  on  calling  to  see  him  the  next  morn- 
ing, found  his  fever  had  turned,  and  he  was  quite  com- 
fortable, so  that  he  was  soon  about  his  business. 

I  was  about  this  time  sent  tor  to  see  a  child  in  Surry, 
a  neighboring  town,  which  was  taken  very  sick,  and 
was  entirely  stupid.  I  told  the  father  of  the  child  that 
it  had  the  canker,  and  made  use  of  my  common  mode 
of  practicie  for  that  difficulty^  Being  sent  for  to  go  to 
Walpole,  to  see  two  young  men  who  had  been  taken  the 
day  before  with  the  prevailing  fever,  I  left  the  child^ 
with  directions  how  to  proceed  with  it.  I  then  started 
for  Walpole,  and  found  the  two  young  men  violently 
attacked  with  the  fever.  They  had  a  brother  who  had 
been  attended  by  the  doctor  for  above  four  weeks  for 
the  same  disease,  and  was  th«n  just  able  to  sit  up.  It 
was  thought  by  edl,  the  two  chat  were  attacked  last, 
were  as  violently  tdcen  as  the  other  was^  and  they  ex- 
pressed a  strong  wish,  that  they  might  be  cured  without 
so  long  a  run  as  their  brother  had.  I  was  as  anxious 
as  they  were  to  have  a  short  job,  and  exerted  all  my 
powers  to  relieve  them,  which  I  was  enabled  to  do  that 
night,  and  left  them  in  the  morning  quite  comfortable, 
so  that  they  were  soon  able  to  attend  to  their  work. 
The  brother  who  had  the  doctor,  was  unable  to  do  any 
thing  for  -several  months.  The  doctor  was  paid  a  heavy 
bill  for  his  visits;  but  my  cure  was  done  so  quick,  that 
it  was  thought  not  to  be  worthy  of  their  notice,  and  I 
never  received  a  cent  from  them  for  my  trouble.  On 
returning  to  the  child  that  I  had  left  the  day  before,  I 
found  that  the  doctor  had  been  there  and  told  them 
that  I  did  not  know  what  wasihe  matter  with  the  child; 
and  had  persua^d  th«n  to  give  him  the  care  of  it.  He 
filled  it  with  mercury  and  run  it  down;  after  faavinff 
given  as  mneh  mercury  inside  as  nature  could  move,  aira 
the  bowels  grew  silent,  he  then  rubbed  mercurial  oint- 
ment on  the  bowels  as  long  as  it  had  any  effect;  after 
wiiieh  he  agreed  that  the  child  had  the  canker  very 
ba^y;  but  he  still  persisted  in  the  same  course  tfll  tM 
child  WMted  away  and  died,  in  about  two  mouths  aftoF  it 
5 


50 


JV*atTaltve  of  the  lAfe,  ifc. 


was  first  taken  sick.  After  the  child  was  dead,  its  pa- 
rents were  willing  to  allow  that  I  understood  the  disorder 
best.  The  doctor  got  twenty-five  dollars  for  killing  the 
child  by  inches,  and  I  got  nothing. 

lo  the  spring  of  1805,  a  Mrs.  Richardson  was  brought 
to  my  house.  She  was  brought  in  her  bed  from  West- 
ford,  Vermont,  about  130  miles,  and  was  attended  by  a 
son  and  daughter,  the  one  21,  and  the  other  18  years  of 
age.  The  mother  had  lain  in  her  bed  most  part  of. the 
time  for  ten  years.  All  the  doctors  in  that  part  of  the 
country  had  been  applied  to  without  any  advantage; 
and  they  had  spent  nearly  all  their  property.  I  under- 
took with  her  more  from  a  charitable  feeling  for  the 
young  man  and  woman,  than  froia  any  expectation  of  a 
cure.  Their  conduct  towards  their  helpless  mother, 
was  the  greatest  example  of  affection  of  children  to  a 
parent  that  I  ever  witnessed.  The  young  man  stated 
to  fne  that  his  mother  had  been  a  year  together  with- 
out openinff  her  eyes;  that  when  she  could  open  them, 
they  thought  her  almost  well.  She  was  perfectly  help- 
less, not  being  able  to  do  the  least,  thing;  not  even  to 
brush  off  a  fly,  any  more  than  a^  infant.  She  had  laid 
so  long  that  her  knee  joints  had  become  stiff. 

I  began  with  her  by  cleansing  her  stomach,  and  pro- 
moting perspiration;  after  which,  I  used  tc  try  to  give 
her  some  exercise.  The  first  trial  I  mode  was  to  put 
her  bed  iato  a  wheelbarrow  and  lay  her  on  it:  when  I 
would  run  her  out,  till  she  appeared  to  be  weary; 
sometimes  I  would  make  a  misstep  and  fall,  pretending 
that  I  had  hurt  me;  .in  order  to  try  to  get  her  to  move 
herself  by  lightening  her.  Afler  exercising  her  in 
this  way  for  a  few  days,  I  put  her  in  a  wagon,  sitting 
on  a  bed,  and  drove  her  about  in  that  mannef;  and 
when  her  joints  became  more  limber,  I  sat  her  on  the 
<*eat  of  the  wagoii^  She  insisted  that  she  should  fall  off, 
for  she  said  she  could  ndt  use  her  feet;  but  the  driver 
would  sometimes  drive  on  ground  that  was  sideling, 
and  rather  than  turn  over,  she  would  start  her  foot 
unexpectedly.  After  exei'cising  her  in  this  way  some 
time,  I  put  her  on  a  horse  behind  her  son;  she  at 
first  insisted  that  she  should  fall  off;  but  when  I  told 
her  she  was  at  liberty  to  fall,  if  she  chose,  she  would 


Of  Smimel  Thommm. 


61 


not,  choosing  rather  to  exert  herself  to  hold  on.  When 
she  had  rode  a  few  times  in  this  way,  I  put  her  on  the 
horse  alone,  and  afler  a  few  trials  she  would  ride  yery 
well,  so  that  in  the  course  of  two  months  she  would 
ride  four  miles  out  and  back  every  day.  She  used  to 
be  tired  after  riding,  and  would  lay  down  and  not  move 
for  six  hours.  I  continued  to  give  her  medicine  to  keep 
up  perspiration,  and  restore  the  digestive  powers,  and 
to  strengthen  the  nervous  system.  I  attended  her  in 
this  way  for  three  months,  and  then  went  with  her  and 
her  son  and  daughter  to  Manchester;  she  rode  upwards 
of  thirty  miles  in  a  day,  and  stood  the  journey  very  we!l. 
I  never  received  any  pay  for  all. my  trouble  and  expense 
of  keeping  them  for  three  months,  except  what  the  two 
young  people  did  more  than  take  care  of  their  mother; 
but  I  accomplished  what  I  undertook,  and  relieved  these 
two  unfortunate  orphans  from  their  burthen;  which  was 
more  satisfaction  to  me  than  to  have  received  a  large 
sum  of  money,  without  doing  any  good.  I  saw  this 
woman  three  years  afler  at  the  wedding  of  her  son, 
and  she  was  quite  comfortable,,  and  has  enjoyed  a  tolera^ 
ble  degree  of  health  to  this  time,  (1822,  the  date  of  the 
first  edition,)  being  able  to  wait  on  herself. 

On  my  return  from  Manchester,  I  stopped  at  Walpole, 
and  it  being  on  the  Sabbath,  I  attended  meeting.  In 
the  afternoon  during  service,  a  young  woman  was  taken 
in  a  fit  and  carried  out  of  the  meeting-house.  I  went 
out  to  see  her,  and  found  that  she  had  been  subject  to 
fits  for  some  time.  She  was  much  bloated',  and  very 
large,  weighing  about  three  hundred.  A  few  days  after, 
her  friends  brought  her  to  my  house,  and  were  very 
urgent  that  I  should  undertake  to  help  her;  but  I  told 
them  I  was  satisfiied  that  it  would  be  a  very  difficult  un- 
dertaking, and  I  did  not  feel  willing  to  engage  in  it; 
but  they  were  so  urgent,  I  agreed  to  do  what  I  could 
for  her.  Every  time  she  took  medicine,  when  I  first 
began  with  her,  she  would  have  a  strong  convulsion 
fit;  but  I  soon  got  her  to  sweat  freely,  and  her  fits  were 
at  an  end.  By  persevering  in  my  usual  plan  of  treat- 
ment, I  got  a  natural  perspiration,  and  her  other  evacu- 
ations became  regular;  she  was  considerably  reduced 
in  sizjB,  and  I  have  never  heard  of  her  having  any  fits 


5a 


J^mraUveof  tU  Ltfe,  ife. 


since.  Tbe  cause  of  her  fits  wtts  taking  sudden  cold, 
and  all  persj^ation  and  the  greater  part  of  other  eraciiH 
i^ions  ceased,  leaving  the  water  in  her  body. 

In  the  fall  of  1805, 1  was  sent  for  to  go  to  Ricb- 
mond,  to  see  the  family  of  Elder  Bowles,  who  were  aU 
sick  with  the  dysentery;  and  Mrs.  Bowles  had  a  cancer 
on  her  breast.  I  relieved  them  of  their  disorders  by  my 
usual  mode  of  practice;  and  gave  the  woman  medicine 
for  the  cancer>  which  relieved  her.  I  had  occasion  to 
visit  her  again,  and  the  tumor  was  about  the  size  of  an 
o^g>  hot  by  foUowing  my  prescriptions,  it  was  dissolved 
without  causing  any  pain,  and  she  has  been  well  for 
twelve  years.  I  then  practised  in  difierent  pi^s  of 
Royalston  and  Warwick,  and  my  practising  in  these 
places,  was  the  way  that  my  mode  of  sweating  for  the 

Xtted  fev<  r,  cam.e  to  be  known  and  practised  by  the 
.  ^'sici^ns  in  Petersham.  I  had  discovered  the  benefit 
of  steaming  by  trying  it  upon  my  daughter  two  years 
before,  and  had  been  constantly  practising  it  ever  since; 
but  the  doctors,  though  they  condemned  me  and  my 
practice,  were  billing  to  introduce  it  and  take  the  credit 
to  themselves  as  an  important  discovery. 

Afiier  returning  home^  I  was  sent  for  to  attend  a 
woman  in  the  neighborhood,  who  had  been  under  the 
care  of  a  celebrated  doctor,  for  a  cancer  in  her  breast. 
He  had  tortured  her  with  his  caustics,  till  her  breast 
was  burnt  through  to  the  bone;  and  by  its  corrosive. na- 
ture, had  caused  the  cords  to  draw  up  into  knots;  he 
had  likewise  burnt  her  leg  to  the  cords.  She  had  been 
under  his  ca^  eleven  weeks;  until  she  was  much  wast- 
ed away,  and  her  strength  nearly  gone..  In  this  situa- 
tion the  doctor  was  willing  to  get  her  off  his  hands,  ant? 
wished  me  to  take  charge  of  her.  After  some  hesita- 
tion, I  consented,  and  attended  her  three  weeks,  in  which 
time  I  healed  up  her  sorea,  and  cleared  her  of  the  humor 
so  effectually,  that  she  has  ever  since  enjoyed  good 
health. 

While  attending  upon  this  case,  another  woman  was 
brought  to  me  fi-om  Hillsborough,  who  had  a  cancer 
on  the  back  of  her  neck.  I  dissolved  the  tumor,  and 
cured  her  by  applying  my  cancer  balsam,  and  the  eom-^ 


.../- 


Of  Samuel  Thomaon. 


53 


n  cold, 
eracOi- 

Ricl^- 

irere  all 

cancer 

i  by  mj 

ledicine 

ision  to 

e  of  an 

issolved 

veell  for 

purts  of 

in  these 

for  the 

by  the 

benefit 

0  years 
!r  since ; 
and  my 

ie  credit 

ittend  a 
ider  the 
-  breast, 
r  breast 
)sive.na- 
nota;  he 
>ad  been 
sh  wast- 
is  situa- 
nds,  and 
>  hesita> 
in  which 
le  humor 
ed  good 

nan  was 

1  cancer 
nor,  and 
he  Gom-^ 


mon  course  of  medicine,  in  three  weeks,  without  any 
pain;  and  she  has  ever  since  enjoyed  good^iealth. 

About  this  time  I  was  called  on  to  attend  a  woman  in 
the  town  where  I  lived.  She  was  an  old  maid,  and  had 
lately  been  married  to  a  widower,  who  was  very  fond  of 
her.  She  had  been  much  disordered  for  many  years, 
and  was  very  spleeny;  she  had  been  under  the  care  of 
several  doctors  without  receiving  any  benefit.  I  visited 
her  «everal  times  and  gave  general  satisfaction;  so  much 
so  that  she  allowed  that  I  had  done  her  more  good  than 
all  the  others  that  had  attended  her.  A  short  time  after 
I  had  done  visiting  her,  the  old  man  came  out  one 
morning  to  my  house  at  sunrise,  and  I  beinc  about  six 
miles  ^om  home,  he  came  with  all  speed  wnere  I  was, 
and  said  he  wished  me  to  come  to  hia  house  as  soon  as 
possible,  for  his  wife  was  very  sick.  I  tcrfd  him  to  re- 
turn, and  I  would  be  there  as  soon  as  he  could.  I  aooa 
after  set  out,  and  we  both  arrived  there  about  tile  same 
time;  and  I  was  very  much  astonished  to  find  his  wife 
about  her  work.  I  was  asked  mto  another  room  by  the 
old  man  and  his  wife,  and  he  said  she  had  something  to 
say  to  me.  She  then  said  that,  *'  if  I  could  not  attend 
her  without  giving  her  love  powder,  she  did  not  widb  me 
to  attend  her  at  all."  I  was  very  much  astonished  at 
her  speech,  and  asked  what  she  meant.  She  said  that 
ever  since  she  had  taken  my  medfbine  she  had  felt  so 
curiously,  that  she  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  it. 
The  old  man  affirmed  to  the  same,  and  he  thought  that 
I  had  given  her  love  powder,  and  did  not  know  what  the 
event  might  be. 

This  foolish  whim  of  the  old  man  and  his  wife,  caused 
a  great  bluster,  and  was  food  for  those  idle  minds,  who 
seem  to  take  delicht  in  slandering  their  neighbors;  and 
was  made  a  great  nandle  of  by  the  doctors,  who  spread 
all  kinds  of  ridiculous  stories  about  me  during  my  ab- 
sence in  the  summer  of  1806.  In  the  autumn,  when  I 
had  returned  home,  I  found  that^  a  certain  doctor  of 
Alstead,  had  circulated  some  very  foolish  and  slander^ 
ous  reports  about  me  and  the  old  woman,  and  had  given 
to  them  so  much  importance,  that  man^  people  believed 
them.  I  found  that  I  could  prove  his  assertions,  and 
sued  him  for  defamation;  supposing  that  by  appealing 
6* 


V" 


54 


JVarrative  of  the  lAfe,  S^c. 


to  th«  laws  of  my  country  I  could'  g^t  redress;  but  i 
was  disapp<Mkrted  in  my  expectations,  for  I  was  persuad' 
ed  to Je^M^e  the  case  to  a  reference,  and  he  had  raised 
such  a  strong  prejudice  in  the  qnindsof  the  people  again«t 
me,  that  they  were  more  ready  to  fitvor  a  man  whom 
they  considered  great  and  learned,  because  he  had  been 
to  college,  than  to  do  justice  to  me ;  so  they  gave  the 
case  against  me,  and  I  had  to  pay  the  cost.  After  this, 
I  refused  to  attend  those  people  who  ^^  had  assisted  in 
injuring  me,  and  gave  them  up  to  their  ftushionable  doc- 
tor. A  curse  seemed  to  follow  them  and  his  practice ; 
for  the  spotted  fever  [Hrevailed  in  this  {dace  soon  after, 
and  the  doctor  took  charge  of  those  who  had  sided  with 
him  against  me,  and  if  he  had  been  a  butcher  and  used 
the  knife^  there  would  not  h^ve  been  more  destruction 
among  them.  Two  men  who  sworO  falsely  in  his  favor, 
and  b^  ivfaoaci. means  he  got  his  cause,  were  among  his 
first  victims;  and  of  the  whole  that  he  attended,  dbout 
nine  tendui  died.  He  lost  upvrards  of  sixty  patients  in 
the  town  of  Alstead  in  a  short  time, 

I  attended  the  funeral  of  a  young  man,  one  of  his 
patients,  who  was  sick  but  twenty^four  hours,  and  but 
twelve  under  the  operation  of  his  medicine.  He  was  a» 
black  as  a  blackberry,  and  swelled  so  as  to  be  difficult  to 
screw  down  the  lid  of  the  coffin;  when  I  went  into  the 
room  where  the  corpse  was,  the  doctor  followed  me,  and 
gave  directions  to  have  the  coffin  secured  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  corpse  from  bemg  seen ;  and  then  began  to  insult 
me,  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  people.  He  said  to 
me,  I  understand,  sir,  that  you  have  a  patent  to  cure 
such  disorders  as  that,  poioting  to  the  corpse.  I  said. no, 
and  at  the  same  time  intimirted  what  I  thought  of  him. 
He  put  on  an  air  of  great  importance,  and  said  to  me, 
what  can  you  know  chout  medicine  ?  You  have  no  learns 
inff ;  you  cannot  parse  one  sentence  in  grammar.  I 
toul  him  I  never  knew  that  grammar  was  made  use  of  as 
medicine ;  but  if  a  portion  of  grammar  is  so  much  like 
the  operation  of  ratsbane,  as  appears  on  this  corpse,  I 
should  never  wish  to  know  the  use  of  it.  This  unex- 
pected application  of  the  meaning  of  what  he  said,  dis- 
pleased the  medical  gentleman  very  much ;  and  finding 
that  many  of  the  people  present  had  the  same  opinion 


Of  Smaml  Tkim$om, 


56 


that  I  Iiad,  it  irritated  him  so  much,  that  he  thrtatMiad 
to  horsewhip  me;  but  I  told  him  that  he  might  do  what 
he  pleased  to  me, .  provided  he  did  oot  poison  me  with 
hk  grammar.  He  did  not  attempt  to  carry  his  threat 
into  execution,  so  I  have  escaped  nis  whip  and  his  poi> 
s<m;  but  the,  people  were  justly  punished  for  their  Ui* 
gratitude  and  iolly,  in  preferring  death  and  misery,  be- 
cause it  was  done  more  fashionably,  to  a  mode  of  prao- 
tice  by  which  they  might  relieve  themselves  in  a  smiple 
and  saJfe  manner. 

I  have  been  more  particular  in  relating  these  circum* 
stances,  in  order  to  show  my  reasons  for  refUsing  to 
practise  so  near  home;  for  I  had  been  in  constant  prac- 
tice 5m<'  z  them  for  four  or  five  years,  and  had  been 
very  s  ^fV  1,  not  having  lost  one  patient  during  the 

whole  tiic  My  house  had  been  constantly  filled  with 
patients  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  fiur  which  I  had 
received  very  little  pay;  myself  and  fiuaily  were  woni 
put  with  nursing  and  attending  upon  them;  io  that  I 
was  compelled  in  a  measure  to  leave  home,  to  firee  my- 
self and  family  from  so  heavy  a  burthen.  Besides,  I 
felt  it  more  a  duty  to  assist  the  people  in  those  parts 
where  I  had  been  treated  with  more  friendship,  and  had 
received  more  assistance  through  my  troubles,  than  what 
I  had  experienced  from  those  whom  I  had  reason  to  con- 
sider as  under  the  greatest  obligations  to  me. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1806, 1  came  to  a  determi- 
nation to  go  to  New  York,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertain- 
ing the  nature  of  the  yellow  fever,  having-  been  im- 
pressed with  the  idea,  that  this  disease  was  similar  to 
that  which  had  been  prevalent  in  difibrent  parts  of  the 
country,  only  differing  in  causes  which  were  local.  I 
made  arrangements  with  a  man  to  take  charge  of  my 
farm,  and  on  the  36th  of  June  started  for  Boston,  where 
I  took  passage  tor  New  York,  and  sailed  on  the  third  of 
July.  In  passins  through  the  Sound,  I  was  very  sensi- 
bly affected  by  the  cold  chills  I  experienced  in  conse- 
quence of  the  sea  air;  havuig  never  been  on  the  salt 
water  before,  this  was  new  to  me;  although  the  weather 
was  very  hot  on  the  land,  I  suffered  with  the  cold.  We 
arrived  at  New  York  in  eiffht  days;  and  the  weather 
was  extremely  hot  when  I  landed;  this  sudden  change 


M 


JVamrftpe  tf  Ikt  Ikft^  igc. 


produced  a  powerful  eSbct  on  my  feelings;  the  cause 
of  which  I  was  satisfied  in  my  own  mind,  was  in  con- 
sequence of  the  cold  I  had  ex;  *)rienced  en  the  water, 
having  reduced  the  natural  heat  of  the  body;  thus,  com- 
ing into  a  very  warm  atmosphere,  the  external  and  in- 
ternal heat  were  upon  nearly  an  equal  scale,  and  when 
there  is  an  exact  balance,  so  as  to  stop  the  determining 
powers  to  the  surface,  mortification  immediately  takes 
place,  and  death  follows.  This  is  the  cause  why  the 
fever  is  so  fatal  to  those  who  go  firom  the  northward  into 
a  warm  climate. 

On  my  arrival,  I  looked  round  to  find  a  place  to  board, 
and  took  up  my  lodgings  with  a  Mr.  Kavanagh,  an 
Irishman,  and  a  Roman  Catholic.  Afler  spending  some 
time  in  viewing  the  city,  I  applied  to  the  Mayor  of  the 
oity,  and  to  the  Board  of  Health,  to  ascertain  whether  I 
could  have  an  opportunity  to  try  the  effect  of  my  med- 
icine and  Systran  of  practice  on  tike  prevailing  fever. 
They  told  me  that  I  could;  but  that  I  could  get  no  pay 
fer  it  by  law.  I  went  to  see  Dr.  Miller,  who  was  then 
President  of  the  board  of  health,  and  had  some  conver- 
sation with  him  upon  the  subject.  He  told  me  the  same 
as  the  Mayor  had,  and  inquired  cf  me  in  what  manner 
I  expected  to  give  relief;  \  told  him  my  plan  wai9  to 
cause  perspiration.  He  said  if  I  could  cause  them  to 
sweat,  he  thought  there  was  a  good  chance  to  effect  a 
cure. 

Afler  spending  several  days  in  New  Yoric,  I  went 
to  West  Chester  Creek  to  procure  some  medicine.  I 
thought  that  I  was  going  to  have  the  yellow  fever,  for 
I  felt  all  the  symptoms,  as  I  thought,  of  that  disease ; 
my  strength  was  nearly  gone,  my  eyes  were  yellow, 
and  a  noise  in  my  head;  my  tongue  was  black,  and 
what  passed  my  bowels  was  like  tar.  I  was  arojng 
strangers,  and  had  little  money;  I  went  to  the  house  of 
a  Quaker  womau,  and  asked  her  to  let  me  stay  with  her 
that  day;  she  gave  her  consent.  Had  but  little  medi- 
cine with  me,  and  could  find  nothing  that  I  could  relish 
but  salt  and  vinegar;  I  used  about  half  a  pint  of  salt, 
and  double  that  quantity  of  vinegar,  which  gave  me, 
relief,  and  I  gained  so  much  strength,  that  the  next  day 
I  was  able  to  return  to  the  city  of  New  York.    On  my 


Of  Samuel  Thonuon*'^ 


51 


arrival  there,  I  was  so  weak  that  it  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  I  could  walk  to  my  boarding  house,  which  was 
about  forty  i  'ds  from  the  place  where  we  landed.  I  iin- 
mediately  toojc  Nos.  3  and  3,  steeped,  and  No.  4;  in  a 
short  time,  I  began  to  have  an  appetite ;  the  first  food 
that  I  took  was  a  piece  of  smoked  salmon,  and  some 
ripe  peach  sauce.  I  soon  recovered  my  strength  and 
was  able  to  be  about.  This  satisfied  me  that  I  had 
formed  a  correct  idea  of  this  fatal  disease;  that  it  was 
the  consequence  of  losing  the  inward  heat  of  the  body, 
qnd  bringing  it  to  a  balance  with  the  surrounding  air; 
and  the  only  method  by  which  a  cure  can  be  efiected, 
is  by  giving  such  medicine  as  will  increase  the  fever  or 
inward  heat  to  such  a  degree  as  to  get  the  determining 
power  to  the  surface,  by  wluch  means  perspiration  will 
take  place,  and  which  is  called  the  turn  of  the  fever;  if 
this  is  not  accomplished  either  by  medicine,  or  by 
nature  being  sufiicient  to  overcome  the  disease,  morti- 
fication will  be  as  certain  a  consequence  as  it  would  be 
if  a  person  was  strangled.  The  reason  why  they  lose 
their  strength  in  so  shoit  a  time,  is  because  it  depends 
wholly  upon  the  power  of  inward  heat;  and  as  much  as 
the^  lose  of  that,  so  much  they  lose  of  their  strength  and 
activity. 

I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  prove  these  facts,  and  to 
satisfy,  myself,  by  attending  upon  a  Mr.  M'Gowan,  who 
had  the  yellow  fever.  He  was  the  teacher  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  school,  and  an  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Kavanagh,  with  whom  I  boarded,  and  who  recommend- 
ed him  to  my  care.  He  was  attacked  about  noon,  was 
very  cold,  and  had  no  pain;  his  eyes  were  half  closed, 
and  appeared  like  a  person  half  way  between  sleeping 
and  waking ;  he  lost  so  much  strength  that  in  two  hours 
he  was  unable  to  walk  across  the  room  without  stagger- 
ing. I  began  with  him  by  giving  Nos.  2  and  3,  to  raise 
the  inward  heat  and  clear  the  stomach,  and  in  an  hour 
after  getting  him  warm,  he  was  in  very  extreme  pain, 
so  much  so  that  his  friends  were  alarmed  about  him; 
but  I  told  them  that  it  was  a  favorable  symptom.  After 
being  in  this  situation  about  an  hour,  perspiration  began 
and  he  grew  easy ;  the  next  day  he  was  out  about  his 
business.    The  effect  in  these  cases  is  exactly  similar 


58 


JVorraltve  of  Ihe  lAfe^  i^c. 


to  a  peraon  being  recovered  after  having  been  drown^ 
ed.  The  cold  having  overpowered  the  inward  beat, 
all  sensation  or  feeling  ceases,  and  of  course  there  is 
no  pain;  but  as  soon  as  the  heat  begins  to  increase,  so 
as  to  contend  with  the  cold,  sensation  returnis,  and  ^he 
pain  will  be  very  great  till  the  victory  is  gained  by  heat 
having  expelled  the  cold  from  the  body,  when  a  natural 
perspiration  commences,  and  nature  is  restored  to  her 
empire. 

I  will  here  make  a  few  remarks  upon  the  food  taken 
into  the  stomach,  which  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  preservation  of  health.  While  I  was  in  New  Yerk, 
I  took  particular  notice  of  their  manner  of  living;  and 
observed  that  they  subsisted  principally  upon  fresh 
provisions,  more  particularly  the  poorer  class  of  people ; 
who  are  in  the  habit  in  warm  weather  of  going  t6  mar- 
ket at  a  late  hour  of  the  day,  and  purchasing  fresh  meat 
that  is  almost  in  a  putrid  state,  having  frequently  been 
killed  the  iaight  previous,  and  being  badly  cooked,  by 
takii^  it  into  the  stomach,  will  produce  certain  disease ; 
and  I  am  convinced  that  this  is  one  of  the  greatest 
causes  that  those  fatal  epidemics  prevail  in  tne  hot 
season,  in  our  large  seaports.  Mutton  and  lamb  is  often 
drove  a  great  distance  from  the  country,  and  having  been 
heated  and  fatigued,  then  are  cooled  suddenly,  which 
causes  the  fat  to  turn  to  water;  and  often  when  killed, 
are  in  almost  a  putrid  state,  and  the  meat  is  soft  and 
flabby.  Such  meat  as  this,  when  brought  into  the  mar- 
ket on  a  hot  day,  will  turn  green  under  the  kidneys  in 
two  or  three  hours,  and  taken  into  the  stomach  will  pu- 
trify  before  it  digests,  and  will  communicate  the  same  to 
the  stomach,  and  the  whole  body  will  be  so  affected  by 
it,  as  to  cause  disorders  of  the  worst  kind.  If  people 
would  get  into  the  practice  of  eating  salt  provisions  in 
hot  weather,  and  fresh  in  cold,  it  would  be  a  very  great 
preventive  of  disease.  One  ounce  of  putrid  flesh  in  the 
stomach  is  worse  than  the  effect  produced  by  a  whole 
carcass  on  the  air  by  its  efHuvia.  Much  more  might  be 
said  upon  this  important  subject;  but  I  shall  defer  it  for 
the  present,  and  shall  treat  more  upon  it  in  another  part 
of  the  work.  It  is  a  subject  that  has  been  too  much  ne- 
glected by  our  health  officers  in  this  country.       .;^.  m.^;. 


Of  Savtml  TkmMtn. 


59 


While  in  the  city  of  New  York,  I  attended  an  Irish- 
man by  the  name  of  Doyle,  who  had  the  fever-and-asue. 
This  disease  gives  a  complete  view  of  my  theory  of  neat 
and  cold;  for  it  is  about  an  equal  balance  between  the 
two,  heat  keeping  a  little  the  upper  hand.  He  had  been 
afflicted  with  this  distressing  disorder  about  four  months; 
he  had  the  fits  most  of  the.tmie  ev^ry  day  and  was  very 
bad.  I  began  by  giving  him  such  medicine  as  I  usually 
gave  to  increase  the  inward  heat  of  the  body,  which  sub- 
dued the  cold,  and  gave  heat  the  victory  over  it;  and  by 
strictly  attending  him  in  this  way  four  days,  he  was  com- 
pletely cured.  Being  shoH  of  money,  I  asked  him  for 
some  compensation  for  my  trouble;  but  he  refused,  and 
never  paid  me  a  cent;  observing  that  he  must  have  been 
getting  well  before,  for  n^  one  ever  heard  of  such  a  dis- 
order being  cured  in  four  days. 

A  gentleman  whom  I  had  formed  an  acquaintance 
with,  by  the  name  of  James^tiuackenbush,  who  had  the 
care  of  the  state  prison  warehouse,  finding  how  I  had 
been  treated,  invited  me  to  go  to  his  house  and  live  with 
•him,  which  I  thankfully  accepted.  I  was  treated  with 
much  kindness  by  him,  for  Which  he  has  my  most  sincere 
thanks. 

On  the  16th  of  September  I  started  for  home;  and 
•took  passage  on  board  a  packet  for  Boston,  wher.e  I  ar- 
rived in  five  days;  and  on  the  26th  reached  my  home, 
after  an  absence  of  three  months,  and  found  my  family 
well.  I  was  often  called  on  to  practise  in  the  neigh- 
borhood; but  declined  most  part  of  the  applications,  in 
consequence  of  the  treatment  I  had  received  fi'om  them, 
which  has  been  before  related.  In  November^  I  went 
to  Plum  Island  to  collect  medicine;  on  mv  way  I  called 
on  Joseph  H?le,  Esq.,  of  Pepperell,  and  engaged  him 
to  come  down  with  his  wagon  in  about  three  weeks, 
to  bring  back  what  medicine  I  should  collect.  I  went 
by  the  way  of  Newburyport;  and  after  being  on  the 
Island  three  or  four  days,  collected  such  roots  as  I 
wanted  and  returned  to  that  place.  While  there,  being 
in  a  store  in  conversation  with  some  persons,  there  came 
in  a  man  firom  Salisbury  mills,  by  the  name  of  Osgood, 
who  stated  that  he  was  very  unwell,  and  that  his  wife 
lay  at  the  point  of  death,  with  the  lung  fever;  that  she 


60 


yarralwe  of  the  lAfe,  8fc. 


had  been  attended  by  Dr.  French,  who  had  j^iven  her 
over.  One  of  the  gentlemen  standing  by,  told  him  that 
I  was  a  doctor,  ana  used  the  medicine  of  our  own  coun- 
try. He  asked  me  if  I  would  go  home  with  bim,  and 
see  his  wife.  As  I  was  waiting  for  Mr.  Hale,  and  had 
nothing  to  do,  I  told  him  I  would,  and  we  immediately 
started  in  the  chaise  for  his  home,  which  was  about  six 
miles.  On  our  arrival,  he  introduced  me  to  his  wife  as 
a  doctor  who  made  use  of  the  medicine  of  our  countiy; 
and  asked  her  if  she  was  willing  that  I  shoilld  undertake 
to  cure  her.^  She  said  if  I  thought  that  I  could  help  her 
she  had  no  objection.  I  gave  my  opinion  that  I  could, 
and  undertook,  though  vrith  some  reluctance,  as  I  was  in 
a  strange  place,  and  no  one  that  I  knew.  I  proceeded 
with  her  in  my  usual  method  of  practice,  and  in  about 
fourteen  hours  her  fever  turned,  and  the  next  day  she 
was  comfortable,  and  soon  got  about. 

This  cure  cauned  considerable  talk. among  the  people 
in  the  neighborhood,  who  thought  very  favorably  of  me 
and  my  practice;  but  it  soon  came  to  the  ears  of  Dr. 
French,  who  was  very  much  enru;ed  to  think  one  of  his 
patients,  that  he  had  given  over,  imould  be  cured  by  one 
whom  he  called  a  quack;  and  attempted  to  counteract 
the  public  impression  in  my  favor,  by  circulating  a  re- 
port that  the  woman  Was  getting  better,  and  sat  up  the 
greatest  part  of  the  day  before  1  saw  her;  but  this  was 
denied  by  the  woman's  husband,  and  known  by  many  to 
be  fdse. 

While  I  remained  in  this  place,  waiting  for  Mr.  Hale 
to  come  down  with  his  wagon  to  carry  nome  my  med- 
icine, I  was  called  on  to  attend  several  cases,  m  all  of 
winch  I  was  very  successful;  most  of  them  were  such 
as  had  been  given  over  by  the  doctwrs.  One  of  them 
was  the  c^e  of  a  young  man,  who  had  cut  three  of  his 
fingers  very  badly,  so  as  to  lay  open  the  joints.  Dr. 
French  had  attended  him  three  weeks,  and  they  had 

Sot  so  bad  that  he  advised  him  to  have  them  cut  off,  as 
le  onl]^  alternative.  The  young  man  api^ied  to  me 
for  advice.  I  told  him  if  I  was  in  his  situation,  I 
should  not  be  willing  to  have  them  cut  off  till  I  had 
made  «orae  further  triid  to  cure  them  without.  He 
requested  me  to  undertake  to  cure  him,  to  which  I 


Of  Samuel  ThonuoH, 


-/. 


61 


consented  and  besan  by  clearing  the  wound  of  mercury, 
by  washing  it  with  weak  lye;  I  then  put  on  some  droj^, 
«nd  did  it  up  with  a  bandase,  which  was  kept  wet  with 
cold  water.    While  I  was  dressing  the  wound,  a  yeunc 
man,  who  was  studying  with  Dr.  French,  came  in  and 
made  a  great  Aiss,  telling  the  younc  man  that  %,  was 
going  to  spoil  bis  hand.    I  told  him  that  I  was  account- 
able for  what  I  was  doing,  and  that  if  he  had  any  advipe 
to  offer  I  was  ready  to  hear  him;  but  he  seemed  to  have 
nothing  to  offer  except  to  find  fault,  and  went  off,  after 
saying  that  Dr.  French's  bill  must  be  paid  very  soon.    1 
continued  to  dress  his  hand,  and  in  ten  uays  he  was 
well  enou^  to  attend  to  his  work,  being  employed  in  a 
nail  factory.     Soon  after,  I  saw  him  there  at  woilr    and 
asked  him  how  his  fingers  did;  he  said  thev  were  por> 
fectly  cured;  he  wished  to  know  what  my  bill  was  for 
attending  him.    I  ctsked   him  what  Dr.  FreL\ch  h$4 
charged,  and  he  said  he  had  sent  his  bill  tb  hla  motpr, 
Amounting  to  seventeen  dollars;   I  iold  him  I  iho'Jght 
that  enough  for  us  both,  and  I  should  charge  mm 
nothing.    His  mother  was  a  poor  widow  depenqm^  on 
her  labor  and  that  of  her  son  for  a  living.     I  remained 
in  this  place  about  two  weeks,  and  the  people  vere  very 
urgent  that  I  should  stay  longer;  but  Mr.  H^e  having 
arrived,  I  left  them  with  a  promise  that  I  ^ould  visit 
them  again  in  the  spring.    We  arrived  8^  Pepperell, 
where  I  remained  several  days  with  Mr.  H^Ie,  who  was 
an  ingenious  blacksmith  and  a  chemist/  having  been 
much  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  mi  oral  medicine. 
He  had  an  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  and  was  very  en- 
thusiastic in  ms  undertakings;   althcugh  he  prepared 
medicines  from  minerals,  he  acknow^dged  that  he  was 
afiraid  to  use  them  on  account  of  his  knowing  their 
poisonous  qualities    I  convinced  him  of  the  superiority 
of  my  system  of  practice,  and  ins^cted  him  in  the  use 
of  my  medicine,  so  that  he  engq^jed  in  it  and  soon  l^id 
as  much  practice  as  he  could  sttend  to;  being  so  well; 
satisfied  of  its  general  application  to  the  cure  of  all  casea 
of  disease,  that  he  looked  no  more  for  it  in  his  mineri^ 
preparations. 

In  the  winter  of.  1807, 1  went  with  my  wife  to  Jeri- 
cho, Vermont,  to  visit  my  father  and  fiiends  who  lived 


6!2 


Narrative  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc. 


there.  While  there  I  was  called  on  to  see  a  number 
who  were  sick,  among  whom  was  a  young  man  that  had 
been  taken  in  what  is  called  cramp  convulsion  fits. 
He  was  first  taken  on  Sunday  morning,  and  continued 
in  fits  most  of  the  time  till  Tuesday ;  he  was  attended 
during  this  time  by  the  best  doctors  that  could  be  pro- 
cured, without  doing  him  any  good.  They  could  not 
get  their  medicine  to  have  any  effect  upon  him;  he  con- 
tinued in  convulsions  most  of  the  time ;  every  part  of  him 
was  as  stiff  as  a  wooden  image ;  after  trying  every  thing 
they  could  they  gave  him  over.  His  father  came  after 
me,  and  just  as  we  entered  the  room  where  the  young 
man  was,  he  was  taken  in  a  fit.  His  feet  and  hands 
were  drawn  in  towards  his  body,  his  jaws  were  set,  his 
Vead  drawn  back,  and  every  part  of  him  as  completely 
^Ked  as  a  statue.  The  first  difficulty  was  to  get  him  to 
tu^  anv  thing;  his  jaws  were  set  as  tight  together  as  a 
I  tbok  a  solution  of  Nos.  1,  2  and  6,  as  strong  as 
it  coVld  be  made,  and  putting  my  finger  into  the  corner 
of  his  mouth,  making  a  space  between  his  cheek  and 
teeth,  j^oured  some  df  it  down;  and  as  soon  as  it  touched 
the  fflaniis  at  the  roots  of  his  tongue,  his  jaws  came  open, 
and  ne  swallowed  some  of  the  medicine;  which  had  such 
an  effect  Upon  the  stomach,  that  all  the  spasms  immedi- 
ately ceased.  I  left  him  some  medicine  with  directions, 
and  he  entii^ely  recovered  his  health;  I  saw  him  three 
years  after,  'wd  he  tdld  me  that  he  had  not  had  a  fit 
since  the  one  abbve  described,  t  was  convinced  fVom 
this  circumstance,  that  the  cause  of  all  cramps  or  spasms 
of  this  kind,  is  stiated  in  the  stomach,  and  that  all  appli- 
cations for  relief  in  such  cases  should  be  made  there;  as 
it  will  be  of  no  sernce  to  work  on  the  effect  as  long  as 
the  cause  remains. 

Before  returning  libme,  I  was  called  on  by  Captain 
Lyman,  of  Jericho,  tl»  advise  with  me  concerning  his 
son,  who  had  a  fever  mxe  on  his  thigh,  with  which  he 
had  been  afflicted  for  s^ven  years.  He  had  been  at- 
tended by  an  the  doctors  in  that  part  of  the  country  to 
no  advantage.  They  had  decided  that  the  only  thing 
which  could  be  done  to  help  him,  was  to  lay  open '  his 
thigh  and  scrape  the  bone.  I  told  him  that  I  did  not 
see  how  they  could  do  that  without  cutting  the  great 


Of  Samuel  Thonuon. 


63 


artery,  which  lay  close  to  the  bone,  where  they  would 
have  to  cut  He  said  he  was  satisfied  that  it  would  not 
do,  and  was  very  urgent  that  I  should  undertake  with 
him.  I  told  him  that  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  stay 
at  that  tvfae;  but  if  his  son  would  go  home  with  me,  I 
would  undertake  to  cure  him;  to  which  he  consented, 
and  the  young. man  returned  with  me;  which  was  in  the 
month  of  March.  I  began  with  him  by  giving  medicine 
to  correct  and  streiigthen  the  system ;  bathed  the  wound 
with  mv  rheumatic  drops,  or  No.  6,  sometimes  bathing 
with  cold  water  to  strengthen, it,  and  after  proceeding  in 
this  manner  for  about  a  month,  ha  was  well  enough  to 
do  some  work ;  he  remained  with  me  till  August,  when 
he  wiu9  entirely  cured,  so  that  he  was  able  to  return  to 
his  father's  on  foot,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year,  the  dysenteiy,  or  camp  dis- 
temper, as  it  was  called,  was  very  prevalent  in  the  ab|Ove 
named  town  of  Jerichp;  and  was  so  mor^l,  that  «U,  but 
two  who  had  the  disease  and  were, attended  by  the  doc- 
tors, died,  having  lost  above  twenty  iii  a  short  time.  The 
inhabitants  were  much  alarmed,  and  held  a  consultation, 
to  advise  what  to  do;  and  being  informed  by  the  young 
man  above  mentioned,  that  I  was  at  home,  they  sent  an 
express  for  me,  and  I  immediately  made  arrangements  to 
comply  with  their  request.  In  twenty-four  hours  I  start- 
ed, and  arrived  there  on  the  third  day  after,  and  found 
them  waiting  with  great  anxiety  for  me,  having  refused 
to  take  any  thing  from  the  doctors.  I  had  an  interview 
with  the  Selectmen  of  the  town,  who  had  taken  upon 
themselves  the  care  of  the  sick;  they  informed  me  that 
there  were  about  thirty  then  sick,  and  wished  me  to  un- 
dertake the  care  of  them.  I  agreed  to  take  charge  of 
them  on  condition  that  I  could  have  two  men  to  assist  me ; 
this  was  complied  with,  and  I  commenced  my  practice 
upon  thirty  in  the  course  of  three  days.  The  disorder 
wbs  the  most  distressing  of  any  that  I  had  ever  witnessed. 
One  man  had  been  speechlel^s  for  six  hours,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  dying;  but  on  my  giving  him  some  medicine 
to  warm  him,  he  seemed  to  revive  like  an  insect  that  was 
warmed  by  the  sun  after  having  laid  in  a  torpid  state 
through  the  winter.  I  had  but  little  medicine  with  me, 
and  had  to  use  such  as  I  could  procure  at  this  place.     I 


I 


64 


Mnmiive  of  Ifte  Iri/tf,  Sfe. 


¥ 


(bund  the  oaase  of  the  disease  to  be  coldness  and  canker^ 
the  digestive  powers  being  lost,  the  stomach  became  Clog- 
ged, so  that  it  would  not  bold  the  heat.  I  made  use  of 
red  pepper  steeped  in  a  tea  of  sumac  leaves,  sweetened, 
and  sometimes  the  bark  and  berries,  to  raise  the  heat  and 
clear  off  the  canker,  which  had  the  desired  effect.  After 
taking  this  tea,  those  who  were  strong  enough,  I  placed 
over  a  steam,  as  long  as  they  could  bear  it,  and  then  put 
them  in  bed.  Those  who  were  too  weak  to  stand,  I  con- 
trived to  have  sit  over  steam;  and  this  repeated  as  oc- 
casion required.  To  restore  the  digestive  powers,  I  made 
use  of  cherry  stones,  having  procured  a  large  quantity 
of  them,  that  had  been  laid  up  and  the  worms  had  eaten 
off  all  the  outiide,  leaving  the  stones  clean.  I  pounded 
them  fine,  then  made  a  tea  of  black  bhrch  bark,  and 
after  cleaning  them,  by  putting  them  into  this  hot  tea, 
and  separating  the  meats  from  the  stone  part,  made  a 
8yru|>  by  puttuig  from  two  to  three  ounces  of  sugar  to 
one  quart  of  the  liquor;  this  waft  given  freely,  and  an- 
swered a  good  purpose.  I  continued  to  attend  upon  my 
patients,  aided  by  those  appointed  to  assist  me,  and  in 
eight  days  I  had  completely  subdued  the  disease.  They 
all  recovered  except  two,  who  were  dyinar  when  I  first 
saw  them.  I  gave  the  same  medicine  to  the  nurses  and 
those  exposed  to  the  disease,  as  to  them  that  were  sick, 
which  prevented  their  having  the  disorder.  The  same 
thing  will  prevent  disease  that  will  cure  it. 

Alter  finishing  my  practice  at  this  place,  I  was  sent 
for  and  went  to  the  town  of  Georgia,  about  thirty  mites 
distance,  where  I  practised  with  general  sucdess  for  one 
week,  and  then  returned  to  Jericho.  Those  patients 
whom  I  had  attended,  were  comfortable,  and  soon  entire- 
ly recovered.  The  doctors  were  not  very  well  pleased 
with  my  success,  because  I  informed  the  people  now  to> 
cure  themselves,  and  they  have  had  no  need  of  their  a»-s 
sistance  in  that  disorder  since.  They  circulated  reports 
for  twenty  miles  round,  that  I  killed  all  that  I  attended; 
but  the  people  were  all  perfectly  satisfied  with  my  prac- 
tice, and  were  willing  to  give  me  all  credit  for  my  skill, 
so  their  malice  towards  me  was  of  no  avail. 

About  this  time  b^ing  in  the  town  of  Bridgewater,  Vt. 
I  wa»  called  on  to  see  a  young  man  about  eighteen  yeara 


Of  Samutl  Thomaon. 


65 


of  ace,  who  had  lost  the  use  of  his  arm  bj  a  strain;  it 
had  been  in  a  perishing  condition  for  six  months.  The 
flesh  appeared  to  be  dead,  and  he  carried  it  in  a  sling; 
his  health  was  bad.  Being  unable  to  stop  to  do  anything 
for  him  at  this  time,  he  was  sent  to  my  house.  I  oegan 
with  him  in  my  usual  manner,  by  giving  him  warm  med> 
icine,  and  bathed  his  arm  with  the  oil  of  spearmint;  in 
about  ten  days,  he  was  well  enough  to  use  his  am.  and 
do  some  work;  in  about  two  months  he  was  eiriirely 
cured  and  returned  home.   . 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1807,  I  went  to  Salisbury, 
according  to  my  promise  when  there  the  fall  before. 
On  my  way  there,  I  stopped  at  Pelham;  the  man  at 
whpse  house  I  staid,  insisted  on  my  going  to  see  his 
father-in-li^w,  who  had  the  rheumatism  very  bad,  having 
been  confined  two  months.  I  attended  him  three  dayit, 
when  he  was  able  to  walk  some,  by  the  assistance  of  a 
cane;  he  soon  got  about  and  was  comfortable.  While 
at  this  place  I  was  sent  for  to  a  younk  woman,  sick  of  a 
consumption;  she  had  been  a  loiqg  tmie  attended  1»y  a 
doctor,  who  seemed  very  willing  for  my  advice;  I  car- 
ried her  through  a  course  of  niy  medicine,  and  the 
doctor  staid  to  see  the  operation  of  it ;  he  seemed  well 
pleased  with  my  system  of  practice,  and  gave  me  much 
credit,  saying  that  I  was  the  first  person  ne  ever  knew 
that  could  m^e  his  medicine  do  as  he  said  it  would.  I 
was  sent  for  to  attend  several  cases  of  cdhsumption  and 
other  complaints  at  this  time,  in  all  of  which  I  ir«t  with 
success,  and  gave  general  satisfaction  to  the  ipe  iM 

After  stopping  at  Pelham  three  weeks,  in  which  time 
I  had  as  much  practice  as  I  could  attend  to,  I  went  to 
Salisbury  Mills,  where  I  was  very  cordially  v»  *  Icomed  by 
all  those  who  had  been  attended  by  me  *\:  a  season  be- 
fore. I  was  called  on  to  practise  in  <his  place  and 
Newburyport,  and' my  success  was  so  great  that  it  caus- 
ed much  alarm  among  the  doctors,  and  a  class  of  the 
people  who  were  their  friends,  who  did  all  they  could  to 
injure  me,  and  destroy  my  credit  with  the  people.  A 
considerable  part  of  the  patients,  who  were  put  under 
my  care,  were  such  as  the  doctors  had  given  over,  and 
those  being  cured  by  me,  had  a  tendency  to  open  the 
6* 


*"(m    ■•»*»    ^'myf*e  - 


^ 


^drrmvee  of  (he  lafe,  H^e. 


•>ey«8  of  the  people,  and  give  them  a  correct  understancF' 
ing  of  the  nature  of  their  practice,  and  convince  them 
that  a  simple  and  speedy  cure  was  more  for  their  interesir 
and  comfort,  than  long  sickness,  pain,  and  distress;  blB- 
sides  having  to  pay  exorbitant  doctors'  bills,  for  useles* 
visits  and  poisonoiKi  drugs,  which  have  no  other  effect 
than  to  prolong  disease,  and  desti'oy  the  natvral  consti' 
tution  of  the  patient.       . 

Among  those  doctors  who  seemed  so  much  enraged 
against  me,  for  no  other  reason  that  I  could  learn,  than 
because  I  had  cured  people  whom  they  had  given  over, 
and  instructed  them  to  assist  themselves  when  sick, 
without  having  to  apply  to  them;  there  was  none  that 
made  themselves  so  cooi^iciious  as  Dr.  French.    I  had 
considerable   practice  in  his  neighborhood,   and   wa9 
tery  successtul  in  every  case;   this  seemed  to  excite 
Ilis  malice  agfunst  me  to  the  greatest  pitch;  he  made 
use  of  every  meaqs  in  his  power,  and  took  every  op- 
portunHy  to  insuk  and  abuse  me  both  to  my  face  and 
behind  my  batik.    A  few  of  the  inhabitants  who  wer3 
his  friencb,  joined  with  him,  and  became  his  instru- 
ments to  injure  m«^  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  peo- 
ple were  friendly  to  me,  and  took  great  interest  in  my 
safety  and  success.    The  doctor  and    his    adherents 
spread  all  kinds  of  ridiculous  reports  concerning  me 
and  my  practijpe,  giving  me  the  name  of  the  old  wiz- 
3»rd;    and  thiUt  my  cures  were  done  under  the  power 
of  witchcraft.    This  foolish  whim  was  too  ridiculous 
for  me  to  undertake  to  contradict,  and  I  therefore  rather 
favored  it  merely  for  sport ;  many  remarkable  circum- 
stances took  place  tending  to  strengthen  this  belief,  and 
some  of  the  silly  and  weaR-mindecTpeople  really  believ- 
ed that  t  possessed  supernatural  powers.    This  will 
not  aj^ear  so  strange,  when  we  take  into  view,  that 
the  people  generally  were  ignorant  of  my  system  of" 
practice,  and  when  they  found  that  I  could  cure  those 
diseases  that  the  doctors,  in  whom  they  had  been  m  the 
hiibit  of  putting  all  their  confidence,  pronounced  as  in- 
curable;   and  that  I  could  turn  a  fever  in  two  days, 
which  Would  often  take  them  as  many  months,  they" 
were  led  to  believe  that  there  was  something  supernat- 
ural in  it. 


Of  Samuel  Thomvm. 


67 


A  man  who  was  one  of  the  friends  of  Dr.  French,  and 
who  had  been  verv  inimical  to  me,  doing  all  in  his 
power  to  injure  and  ridicule  me,  sent  word  one  day  by  a 
child,  that  his  calf  was  sick,  and  -he  wanted  me  to  come 
and  give  it  a  green  powder  and  a  sweat.  Knowing  that 
his  object  was  to  insult,  I  returned  for  answer,  that  he 
must  send  for  Dr.  French,  and  if  he  could  not  cure  it,  I 
would  come,  for  (iiat  was  the  way  that  i  had  to  practise 
here.  It  so  happened  that  the  cuf  died  soon  after,  and 
his  youngest  child  was  taken  suddenly  and  very  dan- 

Serously  sick.  Not  long  after,  he  found  another  calf 
ead  in  the  field,  and  about  the  same  time  his  oldest  son 
was  taken  sick.  These  things  happening  in  such  an  ex- 
traordinary manner,  caused  him  to  reflect  on  his  conduct 
towards  me,  and  his  conscience  jcondemned  him,  for  try- 
ing to  injure  me  without  cause.  He  had  the  folly  to  be- 
lieve, or  the  wickedness  to  pretend  to  beHeve,  that  it  was 
the  effect  of  witchcraft;  and  wishing  to  make  his  peace 
with  me,  sent  me  word,  that  if  I  would  let  his  family 
alone,  he  would  never  dp  or  say  any  tiling  more  to  my 
injury.  This  I  readily  assented  to;  and  his  children 
soon  after  getting  well,  thouffh  there  was  nothing  very 
extraordinary  in  it,  as  it  mignt  all  be  easily  accounted 
for  by  natural  causes;  yet  it  afforded  much  conversa- 
tion among  the  gossips,  «ad  idle  busy-bodies  in  the 
neighborhood;  and  was  made  use  of  by  my  enemies 
to  prejudice  the  people  against  me.  Being  in  company 
with  a  young  woman  who  belonged  to  a  family  that  were 
my  enemies,  she,  to  insult  me,  ssked  me  to  tell  her  for- 
tune. I  consented,  and  knowing  her  character  not  to 
be  the  most  virtuous,  and  to  amuse  myself  at  her  ex- 
pense, told  what  had  taken  place  between  her-  and  a 
certain  young  man  the  night  before.  She  seemed  struck 
with  astonishment;  and  said  that  she  was  convinced  that 
I  was  a  wizp:ard,  for  it  was  impossible  that  I  could  have 
known  it  without  the  devil  had  told  me.  She  did  not 
wish  mc  to  tell  her  any  more. 

I  practised  in  this  place  and  vicinity  a  fow  months  and 
returned  home  to  attend  to  my  farm  for  the  rest  of  the 
season.  While  at  home  I  was  sent  for,  and  attended  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  and  was  very  successful  in 
my  mode  of  practice,  particularly  in  places  where  the 


II' 


68 


jy^ltTf^ve  o/  the  JUfty  (Sfc. 


dysentery  and  fevers  were  most  prevalent;  never  failing 
in  any  iostance  of  giving  relief,  and  completely  putting  a 
check  to  those  alarming  epidemics,  which  caused  so  much 
terror  in  many  places  in  the  interior  of  the  country. 

In  the  year  of  1808.  I  went  again  to  Salisbury,  and  on 
my  way  there,  stoppea  at  Pelham,  and  attended  and  gave 
relief  m  several  cases ,  of  diseasei.  On  my  arrival  at 
Salisbury  Milb,  where  1  made  it  my  home,  I  was  imme- 
diately called  on  to  practise  in  that  place  and  the  adja- 
cent towns.  Many  cape  to  me  from  different  parts, 
whose  cases  were  desperate,  having  been  given  over  by 
the  doctors,  such  as  humors,  dropsies,  mortifications, 
fellons,  consumptions,  &c.  Fevers  were  so  quickly 
cured,  and  with  so  little  trouble,  that  many  were  un- 
willifig  to  believe  they  had  the  disease.  My  success  was 
so  great,  that  the  people  generally  were  satisfied  of  the 
superiority  of  my  mode  of  practice  over  all  others. 
This  created  considerable  alarm  with  the  doctors,  and 
those  who  sided  with  them.  Dr.  French  seemed  to  be 
much  enraged,  iind  having  failed  to  destroy  my  credit 
with  the  people  by  false  reports,  and  ridiculous  state- 
ments of  witchcraft,  shifted  his  course  of  proceeding, 
and  attempted  to .  frighten  me  by  threats,  which  onty 
tended  to  show  the  malice  he  bore  me ;  for  no  other 
reason,  that  I  could  conceive  of„  as  I  had  never  spoken 
to  him,  than  because  of  my  success  in  relieving  those 
he  had  given  over  to  die.  He  would  frequently  cause 
me  to  be  sent  for  in  sreat  haste  to  attend  spme  one  in 
his  neighborhood,  who  was  stated  to  be  very  sick;  but 
I  saw  through  these  tricks,  and  avoided  all  their  snares. 
It  seemed  to  be  his  determination,  if  he  failed  in  de- 
stroying my  practice,  to  destroy  me.  Being  in  company 
one  day  at  Salisbury  village,  with  Mr.  Jeremiah  Eaton, 
of  Exeter,  whose  wife  was  under  my  care  for  a  dropsi- 
cal complaint,  I  was  sent  for  four  times  to  visit  a  young 
man  at  the  house  of  Dr.  French;  the  last  time,  a  man 
came  on  horseback  in  the  greatest  haste,  and  insisted 
that  I  should  go  and  see  him.  I  asked  why  Dr.  French 
did  not  attend  him;  he  answered  that  he  had  rather 
have  me.  Being  convinced,  from  the  appearance  of 
things,  that  it  was  an  attempt  to  put  some  trick  upon 
me,  I  refused  to  go,  and  the  man  returned.     In  a  short 


Of  Snvtmtl  TVmMOti. 


69 


was  imme- 


ne,  a  man 


time  after,  Dr  French  came  into  the  TiHage,  and  Mr. 
Eaton,  who  was  present  when  the/ came  after  me,  adted 
him  what  ailed  the  joung  man  at  hit  house;  he  said 
nothing,  but  that  he  was  as  well  as  any  body.  This  re- 
vealed the  whole  secret.  Mr.  Eaton  then  asked  him 
why  he  caused  me  to  be  sent  for  so  tfiany  times,  under  a 
false  pretence.  He, said  to  see  if  I  dared  to  come  into 
his  neighborhood;  that  he  did  not  care  how  much  I 
practised  on  that  side  of  the  river;  but  if  I  cume  on  his, 
he  would  blow  my  brains  out;  that  I  wa»  a  murderer, 
and  he  could  prove  it.  Mr.  Eaton  observed  that  it  was 
a  heavy  accusation  to  make  against  a  man,  and  that  he 
ought  to  be  made  to  prove  his  words,  or  to  iufibrihe  con- 
sequence; that  his  wife  was  under  mv  care,  and  if  I 
was  a  murderer,  he  oit^ht  to  see  to  it.  Dr.  French  again 
repeated  the  words,  with  many  threats  against  me,  and 
showed  the  spite  and  malice  of  a  savage. 

Mr.  Eaton  and  others  of  my  friends  considered  my  lift 
in  danger;  and  catne  immediately  to  me  aod  related 
what  had  been  said  by  the  dbctor;  and  advised  me  to 
be  on  my  guard.  I  had  to  pass  his  house  eveiy  day  to 
visit  m^  patients;  but  did  not  consider  myself  safe  in 
going  m  the  niffht,  nor  m  the  day  time  without  some 
one  with  me.  I  contmued  in  this  manner  for  several 
days,  and  finding  his  malice  towards  me  to  be  as  great 
as  ever,  and  stm  continuins  his  threats ;  with  the  ad- 
vice of  my  fiiends,  I  was  induced  to  have  resort  to  the 
law  for  protection.  I  went  to  Newburyport  and  enter- 
ed a  complaint  against  him  before  a  magistrate,  who 
granted  a  warrant,  and  he  was  brought  before  him  for 
a  trial.  My  case  was  made  out  by  fliUv  proving  his 
words;  he  asked  for  an  adjournment  for  three  hours  to 
make  his  defence,  which  was  granted.  He  then  brought 
forward  evidence  in  support  of  his  character,  and  prov- 
ed by  them  that  he  had  always  been  a  man  of  his 
word.  The  Justice  told  him  that  he  thought  he  proved 
too  much,  and  to  hid  disadvantage,  for  it  had  been  Ajily 
proved  that  he  had  made  the  threats  alleged  against 
him,  and  to  prove  that  he  was  a  man  of  his  word, 
went  to  satisfy  the  courif  that  the  complaint  was  well 

grounded.    He  wa?  laid  under  two  hundred   dollars 
ends  to  keep  the  peace  and  appear  at  the  next  oourt 


70 


J^arrt^veof  tiu  Zrt/e,  fyc. 


of  common  pleas.  He  appeared  at  the  next  court,  wa? 
ordered  to  pay  all  the  QQsts,  and  was  discharged  from 
his  bail.  This  was  an  end  of  our  controversy  for  that 
time;  but  his  malice  continued  against  me  long  aft^r; 
seeking  every  means  to  destroy  me  and  prevent  my  prac- 
tising, that  he  could  devise;  but  proceeded  with  more 
caution,  which  caused  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and 
n'uch  suffering,  as  wiU  be  hereafter  related. 

I  continued  to  practise  in  this  plac^,  and  had  as  many 
patients  as  I  could  posNbly  attend  upon,  notwithstano- 
ing  the  opposition  I  constantly  met  with  from  the  doctors 
and  their  friends;  for  with  all  their  arts. and  falsehoods 
they  were  not  able  to  prevent  those  laboring  under  com- 
plaints, which  they  had  fpund  could  not  be  removed  by 
the  fashionable  mode  of  treatment,  from  applying  to  ^e 
for  relief;  none  of  whom  but  what  were  either  cured  or 
received  great  relief  by  the  practice.  Some  of  the  most 
ej^raordinary  cases  I  shall  give  tf  particular  account  of 
for  the  information  of  the  reader. 

Mr,  Jabez  Truje,  the  minister  of  Salisbury,  was  afflict- 
ed with  what  the  doctors  called  nettle-rash,  or  what  is 
commonly  called  St.  Anthony^s  fire.  He  stated  to  me 
that  it  was  caused  by  fighting  fire,  about  twenty-five 
j^ears  before,  and  that  he  had  been  subject  to  a  breaking 
out  ever  since;  which  at  certain  times  was  very  painful 
and  troubleeome,  as  it  felt  like  the  stine  of  bees,  and 
would  swell  all  over  his  body.  He  had  applied  to  all 
the  doctors  in  those  parts  for  their  advice,  but  got  no 
assistance  from  them.  I  told  him  that  he  had  heated 
himself  to  such  a  degree  by  violent  exercise,  and  being 
exposed  to  the  fire,  that  there  was  nearly  a  balance  ber- 
tween  the  outward  and  inward  heat,  and  then  cooling 
too  sudden,  the  inward  heat  had  fallen  as  much  below 
the  natural  itute  as  it  had  been  above  it  before,  and  the 
only  way  to  effect  a  cure  was  to  bring  him  into  the 
saine  state  as  he  was  in  when  fighting  the  fire.  He 
wished  me  to  undertake  his  case.  I  carried  him  through 
a  course  of  my  medicine,  and  made  use  of  every  means 
in  my  power  to  ra{se  the  inward  heat,  pursuing  my  plan 
with  all  zeal  for  two  days;  when  he  became  alarmed,* 
and  said  he  felt  as  though  he  should  die,  for  he  felt  the 
same  as  he  did  when  he  was  fighting  the  fire.     I  then 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


71 


kept  him  in  that,  situation  as  much  as  possible;  andV 
went  down  gradually  so  as  to  hold  a  natural  proportion 
of  heat.  My  plan  succeeded  so  completely,  that  he  was 
perfectly  curea  and  has  enjoyed  good  health  ever  since. 
I  attended  upon  his  wife  at  the  same  time,  who  had  been 
long  in'  a  consumption,  and  had  been  given  over.  She 
was  perfectly  cured;  and  they  are  now  (in  1822)  living 
in  good  health  and  are  ready  to  testify  to  the  truth  of 
these  ptatements. 

Previously  to  my  difficulty  with  Dr.  Frent"-h,  as  has 
been  before  mentioned,  Mrs:  Eaton  and  anoth  r  woman 
by  the  name  of  Lifibrd,  came  to  me  at  Salisbury  Mills 
from  Exeter.  Their  coniplaint  was  dropsy;  and  were 
both  desperate  cases,  having  been  given  over  by  the 
ddctor  who  had  attended  them.  Mrs.  Eaton  was  swell- 
ed to  such  a  degree,  that  she  could  not  see  her  knees 
as  she  sat  in  a  chair,  and  her  limbs  in  proportion.  I 
ielt  unwilling  to  undertake  with  them,  as  I  considered 
there  would  be  but  little  chance  of  a  cure;  and  declin- 
ed , doing  any  thing  for  them,  ^d  sent  them  away, 
stating  that  there  was  no  plade  that  they  could  get 
boarded.  They  went  away  as  I  supposed  to  go  home; 
but  they  soon  returned,  and  said  they  had  found  a  place 
where  they  could  stay,  and  a  young  woman  had  agreed 
to  nurse  them.  I  undertook  with  them  very  reluctant- 
ly; but  could  n6i  well  avoid  it.  I  gave  them  some 
medicine,  bHA  it  operated  favorably  on  both,  especially 
on  Mrs.'  Lifibrd;  then  gave  strict  orders  to  the  nurse, 
to  attend  them  attentively  through  the  night,  and  keep 
up  a  perspiration;  but  she  almost  totally  neglected  her 
duty,  spendijQ^  her  time  with  the  young  people.  On 
visiting  them  m  the  morning,  I  was  very  much  hiirt  to 
find  my  directions  neglected.  Mrs.  Lifibrd  was  quite 
poorly;  and  stated  to  me  that  the  nurse  had  neglected 
her,  and  that  she  had  got  her  feet  out  of  bed;  her  per- 
spiration had  ceased)  and  other  symptoms  appeared  un- 
favorable.   . 

I  attended  upon  her  through  the  day  and  did  all  I  could 
to  relieve  her,  but  could  not  raise  a  perspiration  again. 
She  continued  till  the  next  night  about  midnight  and 
died.  My  hopes  of  doing  her  any  good  were  small;  but 
•thinlc  that  if  she  had  not  been  neglected  by  the  nurse. 


n 


Narrative  of  the  lAfe^  Sfc, 


there  might  have  been  aome  small  chance  for  her,  as  the 
first  operation  of  the  medicine  was  so  favorable.  Her 
bowels  were  in  a  very  bad  state,  and  had  been  almost  in 
a  mortified  condition  for  three  weeks,  and  what  passed 
her  was  by  force,  and  very  black. 

This  caused  sreat  triumph  among  my  enemies,  and 
Dr.  French  tried  to  have  a  jury  on  the  body;  but  he 
could  not  prevail ;  for  the  circumstances  were  well  known 
to  many,  and  all  that  knew  any  thing  about  it,  cleared 
me  firom  dl  blame.  The  nurse  said  that  I  did  all  I  could, 
and  if  there  was  any  blame  it  ought  to  fall  on  her  and 
not  on  me.  So  they  failed  in  their  attempt  to  make  me 
out  a  murderer;  but  this  case  was  laid  up  to  be  brought 
against  me  at  another  time.  This  shows  what  may  be 
done  by  the  foUy  of  people,  and  the  malice  and  wicked- 
ness of  designing  ,men,  who  care  more  for  their  own  in- 
terested ends,  uian  for  the  health  and  happiness  of  a 
whole  community.  The  fashionable  educated  doctor 
fosY  lose  one  half  his  patients  without  being  blamed;  but 
if  I  lose  one  out  of  several  hundred  of  the  most  desper- 
ate cases,  most  of  which  were  given  over  as  incur8Jl>le, 
it  is  called  murder. 

Mrs.  Eaton  remained  under  mpr  care  about  three  weeks, 
in  which  time  she  was  reduced  m  size  eight  ii^ches;  she 
tiien  returned  home  to  Exeter.  I  had  several  cases  of 
dropsy  and  consumption  fi-bm  the  same  town,  about  this 
time,  who  were  all  relieved;  all  of  them  were  very 
solicitous  for  me  to  go  to  Exeter  and  practise.  'As  soon 
as  I  could  get  the  patients  under  my  care  in  a  situa- 
tion to  leave  them,  I  left  Salisbury  Mills,  and  went  to 
Exeter,  and  commenced  practising  in  my  usud  way, 
and  was  applied  to  from  all  parts.  I  had  not  so  many 
to  attend  as  I  had  in  some  places;  but  they  were  dU 
of  the  most  desperate  nature,  such  as  had  been  given 
over  by  the  doctors,  in  all  of  which  I  met  with  great 
success.  Many  of  the  cases  had  been  attended  by  Dr. 
Shephard;  he  had  attended  with  me  upon  ,his  patients 
at  Salisbury;  was  a  very  plain,  candid  sort  of  a  man, 
and  treated  me  with  much  civility.  I  well  remember 
his  first  speech  to  me,  which  was  in  the  following  words:  ' 
<<Well,  what  are  you  doin^  here,  are  you  killing  or 
curing  the  people?"    I  replied,  you  moMi  judge  about 


.1-. 


i 


Of  SavMul  Thomaon. 


.V. 


that  for  yourself.     "Well,"  faid  he,   "I   will  watch 
you,  not  for  foar  of  your  doiii|f  harm,  b|p|it  for  my  own 
information;    I  wish  you  well,  and  will  do  you  all  the 
good  I  can."    I  always  found  ^  candid  and  friendly, 
without  any  hypocrisy.    He  oacc  called  on  me  to  visit 
with  him  one  of  his  odtien/is  in  the  town:  where  he 
lived,  who  had  the  rnevrndiiam  in  his  back  and  hips. 
The  doctor  had  attend^  him  about  two  months,  and 
said  he  had  kiUe^  the  pain,  but  his  back  W^  stiff,  so 
that  he  could  not  b>iilff  his  hands  below  Iris  knees.     I 
att«3ll|iiid  him  ^oy^  forty-eight  hours,  and  then  went 
with  him  to  «ee  lae  doctor,  which  wais  half  a  mile;  the 
doctor  appetfired'to  ^  much  pleased  to  see  him  so  well, 
and  have  the  j^se  of  his  limbs;  for  he  could  stoop  and 
use  thepi  a^  well  as  he  ever  could.     He  said  that  he 
was  as  glad'for  the  young  J|Mi's  iake  as  though  he  had 
cured  hufli  himself.    Ha^ra^Hiently  came  to  see  Mrs. 
Eatou,  T^hom  I  was  att«iraK  for  the  dropsy;  and  ex- 
preflf*^  much  astonishmeil^^  the  effect  tne  medicine 
I  g^e  had  in  KeUeving  he^  of  a  disease  which  he  had 
considered  incuc|ble.      At  one  time  when  conversing 
v^th  heji^i:ipon  Mliiir  situation,  and  findiuig  her  so" much 
better,  navins  been  rej^uc'ed  in  size  above  fifteen  inches, 
he  expressed  himself  with  some  warmth  ou;  the  occa- 
sion, sayiuff,  that  it  was  what  he  had  never  seen  or 
heard  of  being  done  before,  and  what  he  Had  consider- 
ed impossible  to  be  done  with  medicine.    Addressing 
himself  to  me  with  much  earnestness,  inquired  how  it 
W1U9  that  I  did,  it.     I  replied,  you  know  doctor  that  the 
heat  had  gone  out  of  the  body,  and  the  water  had  filled 
it  up;  and  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  build  fire  enough  in 
the  body  to  boil  away  the  water.    He  burst  into  a  laugh, 
and  said  that  it  was  a  system  very  short. 

While  practising  in  Exeter,  I  had  many  desperate 
cases  from  the  diffetent  parts  of  the  country,  and  from 
Portsmouth.  One  from  the  latter  place  I  shall  mention, 
being  different  firom  what  I  had  before  witnesefed.  A 
woman  applied  to  me  who  had  the  venereal,  in  conse- 
quence, as  she  stated,  of  having  had  a  bad  husband; 
which  I  believed  to  be  true.  She  had  been  attended 
by  the  doctors  in  Portsmouth  for  nearly  a  year,  who 
had  filled  her  with  mercury,  for  the  purpose  of  curing 
7 


i#' 


JVorrerftt*  p/  the  Life,  fjfc. 


the  disorder  till  the  remedy, had  becoine  liuch  worse 
than  thie  disease.  Hei^|case'  Was  alard)|ng,  and  very  • 
difficult;  she  was  broiiglit  on  a  bed,  beinff  i^iable  to  sjt 
up;  and  seemed  to  be  dfi^  mass  bif  putremction.  I  pro- 
ceedied  with  her  in  my  usfay  way  of  treating  all  cases 
where  the  sybtem  is  greaRy  diaordered,  by  giving  medi- 
cine to  promote  perspiratioiy  steaming  to  throw'  out  t^ie 
mercury,  a^  restore  the  digi^tive  powers;  and  in  three 
we^ks  sh©?^eturned  hoflie  e)itirely  cured.  Another 
woman  came  to  me  ffom  the  sahift  pj^t^e,  w)io  had  been 
sick  five  yeats,  which  haV)  beein  iii\;ons«quence ,  qiyiav- 
injg  had  the  sMne  disedsp,  and  the  do^^tors  lia^  fUiSrJier 
wtth  mercury  to  kitt'  the  disorder^  as.  tft^  c»lle<i  it,  thett 
left  her  to  Jijager  but  a  mis(arable  ej^  Wheiji  she 

stated  her  casp  to  me,  I  felt  very  unwilUnk  to  under- 
take with  her,'  appEC'lending  thiit  it  would  be' very  un- 
certain whether  a  cu^  co^^  be  effected,  h&vihc  been 
of  80  long  standing  ;%ut^u^i^isted  upon  it 'fe^  strong- 
ly, theit  I  cou^d  not  put  Mrw.  After  attiendiiiff  u^^ 
her  threb  weeks,  ltowever,^enr  liiealtK  iivas  restore(^,J^d 
^he  rbiiihie^  hbmb  well;  and  in  less  than  a  year  «^$i\ 
she  had  two  cHiMren  aVone  birth.  S^|Lhad  i^  ^^^a 
child  for  eigt^  y6arp  befeye.  ,  ^f  ^  is  v^ea^y 

cUrerf ' iiij  the  l|r8t|  stages  of '  it^,■  |^y ,  a  conimon  course  of 
medicine,  being  nothing  more  Uiap  a  IVjgh  stage  of  can- 
ker'seated  in  the  gland^  of  cehaui -parts  of  the  body, 
and  if  hot  cured,  cpirnxfunicates  to  tli(^  ^anda  of  tl^e 
throat  and  other  parts;  by  giving  m^rQUjry,  the  whole 
system  is  con^>l6tely  disordered,  and  althoiight  tlie  dis- 
ease may  disappear,  it  is  not  cured;  andf  there  is  mojte 
difficulty  ui  getting  the  mercury  out  of  the  body  of  one 
in  this  situation,  than  to  cure  a  dozen  of  the  disetksewlio 
have  not  taken  this  dangerous  poison. 
''  While  in  Exeter,  I  had  a  case  of  a  yoiuig  man,  soi^  of 
Col.  Nathaniel  Gilman,  who  was  in  a  decline.  He  ^^ 
about  fourteen  years  old,  and  had  been  troiibled  ijvith 
b|eed|ng  at  the  nose.  They  liad  rnade  use  of  s^ch'poW- 
erful  astringents,  with  corrosive  sublimate  spumed  ^b  j^s 
Aose,  that  the  blood  vessels  ia  that  part  -seemed  to  Jt>e. 
fdirupk  up,  ^od  hid  flesh  much  wasted  away;  I  carried 
him  through  a  course  of  medicine,  and  gave  an  equal 


;/. 


*v. 


Of  SdmUl  Vunm^'  i^ 

course  t6 '  tTO  hdad;  tlieh  rai06d  it  iiVturd  nerapiratto^ 
restored  tiit  dl^estiv^  powers,  and  regulateoihe  sysfcdn, 
so  B!a  to  suppbn  (he  b^dy  with,  iooii  insteajdl  of  medicine. 
In  a  bhbri  tmie  he  rec6vered  his,  health  so  t^at  he  com- 
manded a  conipany  of  militiil  at  the  alarm  %t^brtsmouth, 
dWhg  thb  Ikte  wW,  ;^' 

My  'dticc^ss  while  at  this  place,  and  ^e  many  extras 
ordinary  cures  I  performed,  gained  me||;reat  credit 
ajoiioiig  the  people;  but  the  iqiiedical  fdiiieulty  became 
mt^^Talarmedy  and  made  use  of*  every  artifice  to  preju- 
dic^^iem  aigainst  me.  The  fooli^di  stories  ahout  witch- 
craft, whicn  had  been  made  a  handle  of  ait  Salisbury, 
were  repeated  here,  with  a,  thousand  othei^  ridiculous 
statements  for  the  purpose  of  injuring  me;  but  1  treat- 
ed them  with  cdntemfit,  agi^aot  i|||^thy  my  n^ti^s'e,  except 


in  some  mstiuices,  to 
of  the  ighordnt,  who 
«ubh  lionsenapi.  I  #il 
pillpos^  Vr  mdWing  upd 


elf  with  the  credulity 

enougK^to  belieye 

irQuib^ance  for  the 

at  grounds '  t^ey  jEbunded 


one  ci 


their  belief  of  t^  possj^ing  8upema.tiirfil  powers,  and 
which  j^usedjjfch  tarn  aitiong  the  peopl^  at  the  tiine 
il^appraied.  aPB.  Eaton,  where  1  boarded,  had  a  five 
dollar  bill  stolen  out  of  her  pocket  book.^  S!he  made 
in({uiry  of  all  th6  fkmily,,  wlio  denied  having  any  knowl- 
Id^e  of  it.  A  |;irl  that  lived  in  the  family  denied  it  so 
strongly,  that  I  thought  she  discovered  guilt,  and  led 
me  to  belicyb  that  she  had  taken  the  money.  I  pre- 
tended that  1  could  certainly  discover  who  stole  the 
mbhey,  which  was  believed  by  many ;  and  told  Mrs, 
Eaton,  in  presence  of  all  the  family,  that  if  1  did  not  tell 
who  took  it  by  the  next  day  at  twelve  o'clock,  I  would 
pay  the  amount  lost  myself.  In  the  evening  I  had  them 
all  called  into  the  room,  and  took  the  Bible  and  read 
from  the  law  of  Moses  the  penalty  for  stealing;  then 
took  the  purse  and.  put  it  into  the  place,  and  shut  the 
hook  and  gave  it  to  Mrs.  Eaton,  with  strict  injunction 
to  put  it  under  her  pillow  and  let  no  one  touch  it;  and 
that  the  person  who  stole  the  money  could  have  no  peace 
nor  rest  till  he  or  she  confessed  his  or  her  guilt.  They 
then  all  retired  to  bed.  As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  in  the 
morning  the  girl  came  down  stairs  crying,  and  went  to  the 
bed  where  Mrs,  Eaton  lay,  and  confessed  that  she  took 


I 


'6  yhrraiwe  of  Okt  Life,  Sfe. 

the  money,  Mvin^  that  die  had  not  slept  ai^  during  the 
night,  as  I  had  said  would  be  the  case.  jU  will  be  unne- 
cessiaiy  to  inform  th^  reader,  that  |his  wohderral  discoy- 
ery  was  brought  about  by  the  effect  of  a  guilty  conscience 
on  a  creduIoil|  and  weak  mind.         * 

While  I  1^  at  £xeter,  a  woman  brought  her  son  to 
me.  who  had  a  feyer  sore,  so  called,  on  his  hip;  he 
had  been  ittLthis  situation  so  long,  without  any  assist- 
ance, thtt^  Jm  legs  had  perished,  and  he  was  so  much 
wasted  awajji'  by  the  continual  discharge  of  the  sore,  and 
his  nature  had  becom^  so  far  spent,  that  I  felt  pMnctly 
satisfied  that  a  cure  was  impracticable,  and  decii|ied 
und^ertaking  with  him.  This  honest  declaration  on  my  '*• 
part  very  much  affronted  the  boy's  mother,  and  she 
turned  against  njfe  ailiu.did  me  all  the  hurt  she  could. 


and  I 


because  I  would  not 
impossible  for  any  oimm|c 
"  "        iblll 


her  sop  to  a  fashionab 
him  out  of  spite  to  me. 
tor  several  weeks,  till  the 
•  fifty  dollars;   the  lad  continu' 
died.    This  woman  seemed  satisfied 
son  die,  after  speeding  fifty  dollars,  be 


to  do  what  1  knew  was 

Elish.    She  went  with 
if  said  he  would  cur^ 
dtntinued  %ith  ihe  #c- 
nse  airiftunted  to  a^ut 
to  gi^  worse  till  he 
hafpg^llir 
e  it  was  done 


in  a  fac^ionabie  manner;  but  my  refusing  to  undertake 
to  cure  him,  was  sufficient  reason  for  her  to  circulate 
all  kinds  of  false  and  ridiculous  reports  about  ihe. 
However  stranse  this  ratfy  appear,  it  is  no  more  strange 
than  true,  for  this  is  but  one  out  of  many  hundred  simi- 
lar cases,  where  I  have  received  injury,  when  I  was  en- 
titled to  credit,  by  being  honest  and  smcere  in  my  en- 
deavor to  do  what  I  coi\ceived  my  duty  towards  my  fel- 
low creatures. 

About  this  time,  amons;  the  rest  of  my  troubles,  I  met 
with  a  new  difficulty  with  an  apprentice  that  I  had 
taken,  by  the  name'of  William  Little;  whom  I  had  taken 
from  a  state  of  poverty  and  sickness,  cured  him,  and 
supported  hitti  for  two  years,  until  he  had  gained  knowl- 
edge enough  of  my  medicine  and  system  of  practice 
to  be  useful  to  me,  he  then  proved  dishoiaest.  While 
I  was  absent  from  home,  he  collected  all  the  money  he 
could,  and  sold  all  my  medicine,  and  then  went  off.  On 
my  return,  I  found  my  debts  collected,  and  my  medicinet 


m\ 


Of  Samuel  thoiMon. 


'#* 


* 


m 


gone,  90  thlii  Ljfas  obliged  to  go  back  immediately,  to 
'collect  moire  berore  I  cowd  attend  to  "nj  practice.  Thig 
waa  the  first  tim6  1  haA  inet  wifh  difficulty  by  employing 
agents;  but  sincy  then  I  have  had  experienci^  enough  to. 
satisfy  me  of  the  difficulty  of  trusting  to  gj^er  peoplej 
having  found  but  very  few  of  (hose  f  have  been  under 
the  necessity' oif  employing,  vho  have  proved  trusty  and 
honest.  I  have  suflrered  much  pecuniary  loiM|i|i  this  way, 
besides  in  siome  instances^  those  t  have  assiiij%<ra  and  given 
instruption  to,  so  as  to  be  useful  in  the  practice,  have, 
becoaiii^  my  enemies,  and  been  mad#  instruments  to  Ae* 

lj|8troy  me. 

A  son  of  Mr.  John  Underwood,  of  Portsmouth,  was 
brought  to  me  while  at  Exeter,  who  h^d  wliat  is  called 
a  scalt  head.  He  had  be|n  afi|i^<|ted  with  it  for  nine 
years.  The  doctors  had^e^  Applied  to,  to  no  pur- 
pose; and  when  he  brou^^^m  ii^  ipe,  i^reed  to  givie 
ft  generous  po^e  if  I  wouKp^ur^  him.  I  took  charge' 
of  mm,  and  nter  pursuinj^niy  usual  plan  of  treiUment 

.  three  weeks,  he  ||turned  jiome  perfectly  cured,  and  hiM 
not  since  had  itw  appei^rance  of  the  disease.  This 
man  had  the  miippness,  iii  order  to  get  clear  of  paying 
any  thing  for  cunn^  his  Qon,  to  turn  against  me  and  my 
practice,  although  he  had  a.cknowIedged  that  I  had  saved 
l^^life,  and  had  recommended  me  to  many  others,  whom 
I  had  relieved;  yet  to  get  clear  of  paying  a  trilling  sum 
according  to  his  agreement,  he  did  all  he  could  to  injure 
me,  and  through  his  influence,  many  were  kept  from  be- 
ing cured.  He  was  taken  sick,  and  notwithstanding  he 
had  said  so  much  against  my  medicine,  he  applied  to 
some  who  had  the  right  of  using  jt,  and  was  relieved 
thereby.  .  •  »  -  r 

Some  time  towai-ds  the  close  of  ttie  Bummev,  while  t 
was  at  Exeter,  I  was  sent  for  to  go  to  Portsmouth  to  see 
a  young  man  by  the  najne  of  Lfeoell,  who  was  in  a  very 
dangerous  situation,  supposed  by  his  frjends  to  be  in  a 
dying  state,  having  been  given  oyer  by  Drs.  Cutler  and 
Pieirpont,  at  ten  o'clock  that  morning.  1  arrived  about 
two  in  the  afternoon.  He  had  been  attended  by  the 
two  doctors  above  named  for  upwards  of  a  month,  to' 
cure  the  venereal;  they  had  filled  him  with  mercury, 
so  that  he  had  swelled  all  over  with  the  noison.  The 
7* 


'#* 


JVarrcrfive  0/  the  Life,  8fc. 


BNer 


doctors  pronounced  it  to  be  the  dropay.  flb  legs  had 
been  scarified  to  let  off  the  water;  the  dHoider  and  the 
mercury  had  gained  the  power,  aod  nature  had  submit' 
ted.  I  at  once  pronounced  it  to  be  a  desperate  case» 
and  told  tba  French  Consul,  who  had  the  care  of  bioi, 
that  I  could  give  no  encouragement  that  I  could  do  him 
any  good;  hut  be  was  very  solicitous  for  me  to  do  some- 
thing for  hui.  I  told  him  the  only  chance  was  to  rais6 
perspiratio^  and  that  twenty-four  hours  would  deter- 
mine  his  case ;  for  he  would  either  be  better  in  that 
time,  or  be  dead.  Tlie  idea  of  perspiration  caused,  him 
to  urge  me  to  try;  and  he  said  if  I  could  effect  it^  he 
would  give  me  one  hundred  dollars;  the  doctors  had  # 
tried  for  a  month,  and  could  not  succeed.  I  gave  him 
some  medicine,  *tbei|.  put  on  the  clothes  by  degrees,, 
until  he  was  shielde^ifroro  die  air,  and  he  sweat  freely 
in  about  an  hour.  TJSie  tm  ii^tors  were  present,  and 
seemed  astonished  at  rtiy  8iH|MBs;  (hey  walked  the  room^ 
talked  low,  then  went  outf^  I  staid  ¥ri|)h  him  till  mix 
o'clock,  and  the  symploras 'kerned  to, be  favorable; "he 
sweat  profusely,  and  spit  mucl^  bloody  I  told  the  nurse 
to  keep  him  in  the  same  situation  till^yretaratd;  went 
out  and  was  gone  about  an  hour,  apd  ^Nbe  back  again 
with  Mr.  Underwood.  When  we  came  into  the  room„ 
found  that  the  doctors  had  tak«n  him  out  of  bed  and  fuX 
him  in  a  chair,  and  opened  the  window  against  him.  ^ 
told  them  that  their  conduct  would  cause  his  death,  and 
I  would  do  no  more  for  him;  but  should  give  him  up  a» 
their  patient. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  they  were  aJIraid  I  cdiould  cure 
him,  and  thus  prove  the  superiority  of  my  practice  over 
theirs;  for  they  had  tried  a  month  to  get  a  perspiration,, 
without  success,  and  I  had  done  it  in  one  hour.  The 
man  fainted  before  I  left  the  room.  I  went  home  with 
Mr.  Underwood  and  staid  that  night,  and  left  them  t& 
pursue  their  own' coarse;  the  man  died  before  morn- 
ing. Instead  of  getting  the  hundred  dollars,  as  waa 
asreed,  I  never  cot  a  cent  for  all  my  trouble  of  coming 
fifteen  miles,  and  returning  back  again  on  foot;  and  be-* 
sides  this  loss,  afterward, — ^when  I  came  to  be  perse- 
cuted by  the  faculty, — the  above  two  doctors  gave  their 
depositions  against  me,  in  which  I  was  informed  thejr 


*< 
.'^. 


# 


Of  Samml  T%om»am. 


19 


legs  had 

and  tbe 
1  submit-' 
Bte  case»      n 
e  of  bim, 
d  do  bim 

do  some' 
I  to  raise 
lid  deter- 
er  iQ  that 
lused  bim 
set  iti  be 
)ctors  had  # 

gave  him^ 
f  degrees^ 
reat  freely 
egent,  and 
d  the  room,^ 
kim  till  ^six 
rorable;  be 


swore  thai  i  kilted  this  man,  notwithstanding  they  had 
given  him  over  to  die  the  morning  before  I  saw  him, 
and  they  had  taken  him  out  of  my  hands,  as  above 
stated.  On  bein^  informed  that  they  were  trying  to 
support  a  compiamt  against  me,  I  got  the  depositions  of 
Mr.  Underwood  apd  others,  who  were  kaiNving  to  the 
facts,  to  contradict  these  false  statements.  On  finding 
that  I  was  determined  to  oppose  them,  and  prove  what 
they  had  sworn  to  be  all.faise,  they  thought  proper  to 
drop  the  matter;  but  I  was  informed  they  had  sworn 
that  my  medicine  was  of  a  poison9us  nature,  and  if  it 
did  not  cause  the  jMtient  to  vomit  soon  after  being  taken, 
they  would  certamly  die.  It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
contradict  this,  for  its  incorrectness  and  absurdity  is  too 
well  known  to  all  who  have  any  knowledge  of  the  medi- 
cine I  use. 

I  was  frequently  in  Portsmouth  to  visit  those  who  had 
been  sent  to  me  to  be  attended  upon  at  Exeter.  Some- 
time in  September  in  1808,  when  there,  I  was  called  on 
to  visit  Mr.  Richard  Rice,  who  was  sack  with  the  yellow 
fever,  as  it  was  oalled.  The  reason  for  his  sending  for 
me,  was  in  consequence  of  having  heard  the  reports  of 
the  doctors,  that  I  sweat  my  patients  to  f'  >ath.  He  con- 
ceived an  idea  that  if  he  could  sweat,  he  should  be  bet- 
ter; but  they  would  not  allow  him  to  be  kept  warm,  tak- 
ing the  clothes  off  of  him,  and  keeping  the  windows  and 
doors  open;  no  fire  was  permitted  in  ue  room,  whUe  he 
was  shivering  with  the  cold.  The  plan  w^  to  kill  the 
fever,  and  tp  eflfect  this  with  m6re  certainty,  the  doctor 
had  bled  him,  and  told  his  sister  that  he  had  given  him 
as  much  ratsbane  as  he  dared  to  give,  and  if  that  did  not. 
answer  he  did  not  know  what  would. 

I  began  to.  give  him  medicine  a  little  before  night, 
and  in  one  hour  perspiration  took  place.  He  was  so 
weak  that  he  was  unable  to  help  himself..  In  the  morn- 
ing the  doctor  proposed  to  bleed  him;  but  he  was  dis- 
missed. I  was  with  him  till  the  symptoms  were  favora- 
ble, and  then  left  him  in  the  care  of  three  persons  whom 
I  could  confide  in.  After  I  was  gone.  Dr.  Brackett 
came  into  the  room  where  the  patient  was,  in  a  great 
rage,  saying  that  they  were  killing  him;  for  the  mortifi- 
cation wouM  soon  take  place,  in  consequence  of  keeping 


j>rar¥mt£of  mt/fe^'iic. 


him  so  Wanfei.  He  Wil^  lusk«d  by  One  of  those  present, 
in  Whid^Ca^e  mortification  wtis  most  likely  to  take  place, 
wheti  the  biddd  was  cbld  tihd  thick,  or  warm  and  thin. 
He  ilUspected  some  quibble,  and  would  not  give  an  an- 
swer; and  ii^' Avas  imniaterial  which  wajr  he  answered^ 
{6t  in  either  itt£(e  he  hdd  ^o  groniddf:  to  support  an  argii-; 
meht  upon,  hut  what  might  be  easily  refuted.  After  he 
had  failed  i|i  the  inti^Herence  with  those  who  had  the 
care  of  the  patient,  he  went  to  his  wife  and  other  rela- 
tions, arid  tried  to  frighteri  them;  but  he  did  libt  succeed;' 
for  they  were  well  satisfied  with  what  was  doing.  '.' 

The  patient  was  much  out  by  spells,  sometimes  iriif*  ^ 
agining  himself  to  be  a  lump  of  ice ;  but  my  directions  ' 
were  pursued  by  the  person  1  left  in  charge  of  him  dui*-' 
ing  the  night,  keeping  lip  a  perspira,tion,  ni  the  momiiig 
he  was  much  relieved,  and  had  his  "right,  mind.     He  had 
no  pain  except  in  the  low'er  part  of  the  bowels;  to  re- 
lieve which  he  was  very  anxious  that  I  shpuld  give  him 
some  physic.     I  opposed  this,   being   confident  that  it 
would  not  do  in  suth  putrid  cases.     He  was  so  urgent, 
however,  I  gave  him  some,  which  operated  very  soon; 
and  the  consequence  Wias,  that  it  reinforced  his  disorder, 
and  threw  him' into  the  greatest  distress.     He  asked  for 
more  Jihysic,  but  I  told  him  that  I  would  not  give  him 
any  more,  for  I  was  satisfied  of  the  inipropriety  of  giVf 
ing  it  in  such  cases,  and  I  have  rieVer  given  any  since.. 
It  checked  the  perspiridtibn,  and  dfew  the  determining 
powers  fVom  the  surface  inward;    sd  thM  1  had  to  go 
through  the  same  process  again  of  raising  j^erspiration,) 
and  vomiting,  which  \<ras  much  more  diffibult  than  at 
firdt,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  attention  that  I  was 
able  to  keep  off  the  mortification  fbr  twelve  hours  that 
he  was  kept  back  by  taking  this  small  dose  of  physic.     I 
kept  up  the  perspiration  through  Friday  and  Saturday, 
and  on  Sunday  morning  when  I  called  to  see  hiiii,  he 
was  up  and  dressed.     On  asking  how  he  did,  be  said  as 
strong  as  you  are,  and  took  me  under  his  arm  and  car^' 
I'ied  me  across  the  room.     On  Monday  he  was  down  ofit 
the  wharf  attending  to  his  business. 

This  cure  caused  considerable  talk  in  the  town,  and 
because  it  was  done  so  quick,  the  doctors  said  that  there 
was  but  little  ailed  him,  and  He  would  have  got  well 


Of  Stmml  TlboHMon. 


91 


himself  if  he  had  taken  the  physic  and  been  left  alone; 
but  those  who  saw  it  were  convinced  to  the  contrary; 
others  doubted,  and  said  among  themselves,  how  can  a 
man,  who  has  no  learning,  ana  never  studied  physic, 
know  how  to  ctare  disease.  Mr.  Rice,  however,  gave 
me  credit  for  the  cure,  and  was  very  gratefiil  for  it,  and 
I  made  his  house  my  home,  when  in  Portsmouth,  and 
was  treated  with  much  respect.  lie  introduced  me  to 
his  uncle,  Alexander  Rice,  Esq.,  a  man  of  respectabili- 
ty, and  high  standing  in  that  place;  who  at  first  could 
not  believe  that  so  valuable  a  discovery  could  be  madd 
by  a  man  without  an  education.  I  conversed  with  him 
upon  the  subject,  and  explained  the  principles  upon 
Which  my  system  was  founded;  how  every  thing  acted 
under  the  nature  and  operation  of  the  four  elements, 
and  by  one  acting  upon  another  caused  all  motion; 
how  the  element  of  fire,  by  rarifying  water  and  air, 
keeps  the  whole  creation  in  motion;  now  the  tempera- 
ment of  the  body ,  by  adding  or  diminishing  heat  and 
cold,  would  promote  either  life  or  death.  After  hearing 
my  explanation,  he  became  s^isfied  of  its  correctness, 
and  confessed  that  my  natural  gift  was  of  more  value 
than  learning.  He  then  made  Known  to  me  his  in- 
firmities, and  wished  me  io  take  the  care  of  bis  family, 
and  give  him  and  his  wife  such  information  as  would 
enable  them  to  attend  upon  themselves  and  family  in 
case  of  sickness.  I  readily  agreed  to  this,  and  soon 
after  carried  some  of  the  family  through  with  tne  medi- 
cine, and  gave  them  all  the  information  in  my  power,  of 
the  principle,  and  the  medicine  with  which  it  was  done. 
Mrs.  Rice  undertook  the  management  of  the  business; 
she  was  a  kind  and  affectionate  woman,  possessing  a 
sound  judgment  without  fear.  After  she  had  gained  the 
information,  she  wished  me  to  attend  to  carrying  her 
through  a  course  of  the  medicine,  for  a  bad  humor,'  call- 
ed the  salt  rheum,  which  she  had  been  long  afflicted  with ; 
she  was  attended  a  few  times,  which  efi'ected  a  complete 
cure. 

Major  Rice  had  been  for  many  years  subject  to  turns 
of  the  gout;  and  had  been  in  some  instances  confined 
by  it  for  six  months  at  a  time,  and  for  six  weeks  uot  able 
to  sit  up,   ^uch  of  the  time  not  able  to  lift  his  hand 


m 


11 


as 


JVV»h^«W"o/  ifc<J  .Bt/c,  %c. 


to  his  head.  H^  had  been  coAatantly  tthderthe  cact^  of 
the  most  skilful  doet6r^,  who  \(rould  bleed,  and  blister, 
and  physic  hiM,  till  his  stf ength  wad  exhauirted ;  aft^r 
attending  him  in  this  way  through  the  winter,  they  isttid 
he  must  wait  till  warm  weather,  before  he  cbuld  get 
about.  When  the  tfrarm  weather  caiiie,  he  would  ci-awl 
out  to  the  suhiiy  si^e  of  the  house,  and  in  this  way  he 
gradually  gained  his  strength.  After  this  \.e  was  afflict- 
ed with  a  violent  burUing  in  the  stoit^ach,  which  was  al- 
most as  troublesome  as  t^e  gout,  ^^w^'^'i^' 

After  he  had  the  right  of  my  mecReitie,  he  had  frequtint 
turns  of  the  gout ;  but  no  attack  of  this  disease  has  con- 
tinued more  than  twenty-four  hoUrs,  before  he  was  com- 
pletely relieved;  and  he  has  been  but  little  troubled  with 
the  burning  of  the  stomach  since,  [in  1822.]  He  has 
told  me  since,  that  if  he  could  have  been  as  sure  of  re- 
lief, when  he  was  first  subject  to  the  disease,  as  he  is 
now  certain  of  it  in  twenty-four  hours,  he  would  have 
been  willing  to  give  all  he  was  Worth,  This  family  has 
been  so  much  benefitted  by  the  use  of  the  medicine, 
that  no  su'm  of  money  would  be  any  temptation  to  tbem 
to  be  deprived  of  it.  This  man  has  never  been  lacking 
to  prove  his  gratitude  to  me;  in  the  time  of  my  troubles 
his  iEussistance  was  of  the  greatest  importance  to  me,  and 
I  shall  ever  feel  gra.teful  to  him  and  his  family  for  their 
goodiless.  ■  ■       '   ";:;*'^  i->^>^Sf    r.    ::    ^  .v. 

Soon  after  I  went  to  Portsiridiith,  I  wHi  -«ient  fov  to  ^o 
to  Deerfield,  Where  the  dysentery  prevailed,  and  had 
become  very  alarming.  A  young  man  by  the  name  of 
i'ulsom,  came  after  me,  and  said  that  the  doctor  had  loBt 
every  patient  he  had  attended;  that  seven  had  died,  and 
many  were  sick;  that  his  father  and  two  brothers  were 
given  over  by  the  doctor  that  morning  to  die.  ^''^ 

The  young  man  seemed  so  anxious,  and  was  so  mudfi 
frightened,  that  I  concluded  to  go  with  him;  the  dis- 
tance was  twenty-eight  miles.  We  started  a  littlfe  be- 
fore night,  and  arrived  there  about  ten  o'clock.  I  found 
the  fathes  and  ^he  two  sons  as  bad  as  they  could  be  and 
be  alive;  they  were  stupid  and  cold.  I  told  the  mother 
that  it  was  very  uncertain  vhether  I  could  help  them. 
She  begged  of  me  to  save  her  husband's  lif^if  possible. 
I  told  hei  that  I  could  not  tell  whether  they  were  dying, 


Of  Samwl  'J'homoiH, 


89 


5  Ctff*  of 

I  blister, 
d;  after 
hey  Brtid 
buld  get 
lid  ctawl 
I  wfty  he 
a8  aflSiCt- 
li  was  a!- 

l  frequent 
!  has  con- 
was  com- 
ibled  with 
He  has 
xxre  of  re- 
,  as  he  is 
ould  have 
family  has 
medicine, 
n  to  tberti 
m  lacking 
ly  troubles 
to  me,  and 
y  for  their 

tfovto  go 
and  had 
e  name  of 
or  had  lost 
I  died,  and 
thers  were 


n 


as  so  much 
the  dis- 
alittW  be- 
I  found 
uld  be  and 
the  mother 
help  thfem. 
if  possible, 
vere  dying, 


or  whether  it  was  the  deadly  efiict  of  .opium.     I  gave 
them  all  medicine.     The  two  children  died  in   ftDOUt 
three  hours;  but  Mr.  Fulson(i  soon  grew  better  bv  takin|( 
my  medicine.     I  Itad  not  only  the  »i|s|ic  .to  atteno  to,  ana 
do  every  thing  myself ;   but  the  oppogiiion  of  all  the 
neighborhood;  there  was  eight  of , the  family  Riok,  and 
if  I  went  out  of  the  house,  some  person  would  open  the 
doors  and  windows,  which  would  cause  a  rela^te  *,  wtiile 
perspiration  continued,  they  were  easy,  but  ai  mooii  at 
they,  gyevr  cold,  the  pain  would  return  and  be  very  vio- 
lent.   Ill  the  morning  I  was  preparing  to  eomeaway; 
but  the  father  urged  me  so  hard  to  stay,  promiiinff  that 
I  should  be  treated  in  a  better  manner  than  I  had  Been, 
that  I   consented  and  remained  with  them   about  ten 
days.     I  caught  the  disorder  myself  and  wa«  very  bad; 
on  taking  the  medicine,  the  operation  was  so  violent, 
that  the  neighj^ors  were  much  frightened,  and  letlt  the 
house,  and  were  afraid  to  come  nigh  ui,  leaving  um  to 
die  altogether.     L  soon  got  better  and  was  able  to  carry 
Mr.  Fulsom  through  for  the  jfirst  time;  which  relieved 
him,  and  he  sopn  got,  better.     In  the  mqan  time  a  imaU 
child  wa^  brought  home  side,  that  had  been  oarried 
away  to  prevent  it  from  taking  the  disorder.     Itwaaio' 
far  gone,  that  the  medicine  would  have  no  effect  upoiiit^ 
and  it  soon  died.    AH  that  were  not  in  a  dying  lituation 
before  they  took  the  medicine,  were  relieved  ana  got  weH« 
I  attended  some  that, had  the  disorder  in  other  familiei,  all 
of  whom  got  well;  ^fteen  in  the  whole  recovered  and 
three  died,    ^wo  years  after,  the  death  of  theie^  three 
children  was  brought  against  me  on  a  charge  of  miirdeRi 
All  that  I  ever  received  for  my  trouble  in  these  caieii 
wa^  fii^een  dollars;  there  was  no  credit  given  me  (bt 
curing  the  fifleen  out, of  eighteen,  when  the  doctor  had 
lost,  all  th^  he  attended;  and  although  he  had  given 
oyer  three  to,  die,  I  cured  one  of  them  twelve  houra 
al''t;ei;.    When  I  lei^  this  phce  the  doctor  adopted  my 
niO<ie  of  piiactice  as  far  as  he  knew  it,  partioularly  in' 
sweating,  and.  abovit  one  half  lived.    NotwithitiAding 
all  this,  Uie  doctor,  as  I  was  info*'mod,  made  oath  Uiat 
the  three  children  died  in  consequence  of  taking  my 
medicine;  and  the  good  minister  of  the  parish,  I  wan 
also  infpjrm^ii,  te^tilied^o  the  same  thing;  though  1  am 


84 


JVotToftve  of  ifcc  Xrt/e,  ifc. 


confident  that  neither  of  them  knew  any'  thing  about  mc 
or  my  medi<»ine.  A  judgment  seemed  to  follow  this 
clergyman,  for  a  jAort  time  after  he  had  lei}t  his  aid  in 
promoting  the  pibtecution  against  me,  a  circumstance 
took  place  in  his  foiuily,  which,  if  it  had  not  been  done 
by  a  fashionable  doctor,  might  have  beeA  called  murder. 
His  wife  was  at  times  troubled  with  a  pain  in  her  face, 
something  like  a  cramp;  a  certain  doctoi'  said  that  he 
could  help  her  by  cutting.  He  used  the  knife  and  other 
instruments  of  torture  for  four  hours,  which  stopped  her 
speech,  and  let  loose  the  juices  that  filled  the  flesh  firom 
her  breast,  so  that  the  blood  and  water  crowded  out  of 
her  ears  in  striving  for  breath.  She  remained  in  this 
distressed  situation  about  seven  days  and  died.  This  in- 
formation I  had  from  two  respectable  men,  who  were 
present  at  the  time  of  her  sufferings  and  death. 

I  continued  to  practise  in  Portsmouth  and  vicinity 
during  this  autumn,  and  while  there,  was  sent  for  to  go 
to  Salisbury,  to  see  a  child  that  had  been  attended  by  a 
woman  for  several  days,  who  I  had  given  information  to, 
but  they  said  the  perspiration  would  not  holdi;  and  they 
Wished  for  further  information.    On  seeing  the  child,  I 
at  once  found  that  they  had  kept  about  an  equal  balance 
between  the  outward  and  inward  iheat;  when  they  gave 
medicine  to  raise  the  inward  heat  and  start  the  deter- 
mining power  to  the  surface,  they  at  the  same  time  kept 
the  out^fard  heat  so  high  as  to  counteract  it.    After  ex- 
plaining to  them  the  difficulty,  I  raised  the  child  up  and 
poured  on  to  it  a  pint  of  cold  vinegar,  and  it  immedi- 
ately revived.     Applied  no  more  outward  heat,  but  only 
to  shield  it  from  the  air;  and  gave  the  warmest  medi- 
cine hiward,  on  the  operation  of  which,  the  child  grew 
cold  and  very  much  distressed.     As  soon  as  the  inward 
heat  had  gained  the  full  power,  and  drove  the  cold  out, 
the  circulation  became  free,  and  the  child  was  relieved 
from  pain  and  fell  asleep;  the  next  day  the  heat  was  as 
much  higher  than  what  was  natural,  as  it  had  been  low- 
er the  day  before ;  anu  when  heat  had  gaii^ed  the  victo- 
ry over  cold,  the  child  gained  its  strength  and  was  soon 
about,  perfectly  recovered. 

'    I  had  not  practised  in  Salisbury  before,  since  I  went 
io  Exeter,  which  was  in  June,  and  my  returning  there 


:0f  Samuel  Humuon. 


85 


«eemed  to  give  Dr.  French  great  offence.  He  had  been 
<to  see  the  child  mentioned  above,  and  tried  to  discour- 
age the  people  from  using  my  medicine;  and  threaten- 
ed them  that  he  would  have  them  indicted  by  the  grand 
jury,  if  they  made  use  of  any  withotttt  his  consent;  his 
threats,  however,  had  very  little  effect,  for  the  people 
were  well  satibfied  of  the  superiority  of  my  practice  over 
his.  About  Uais  time  the  bonds  for  his  good  behavior 
were  out;  I  did  not  appear  against  him,  and  when  the 
case  was  called,  the  court  discharged  him  and  his  bail, 
on  his  paying  the  cost.  The  action  was  brought  on  a 
complaint  in  behalf  of  the  Commonwealth;  but  I  had 
caused  another  action  of  damage  to  be  brought  againpt 
him,  which  was  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
tried  at  Ipswich  the  spring  following.  I  employed  two 
lawyers  to  manage  my  case,  and  brought  forward  two 
witnesses  to  prove  my  declaration,  who  swore  that  the 
defendant  made  the  assertion,  that  I  was  guilty  of  mur- 
der and  he  could  prove  it.  His  lawyer  admitted  the 
fact,  but  pleaded  jusjiification  on  the  part  of  his  client, 
and  brought  witnesses  on  the  stand  to  prove  that  what 
he  had  said  was  true.  The  young  woman  who  nursed 
Mrs.  Xiifford,  and  by  whose  neglect  she  took  cold,  swore 
to  some  of  the  most  ridiculous  occurrences  concerning 
the  death  of  that  woman,  that  could  be  uttered,  which 
were  perfectly  contradictory  to  every  thing  she  had  be- 
fore confessed  to  be  the  truth.  Another  young  woman, 
the  daughter  of  a  doctor  at  Deerfield,  made  a  state- 
ment, to  make  it  appear  that  I  was  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  the  three  children,  who  died  as  has  been  be- 
fore related.  I  had  no  knowledge  of  ever  seeing  this 
woman,  and  have  since  ascertained  that  she  was  not  at 
the  house  but  once  during  the  sickness,  and  then  did 
not  go  into  the  room  where  the  sick  were;  and  her  ex- 
aggerated account  must  have  been  made  up  of  what  she 
had  heard  others  say. 

These  things  were  a  complete  surprise  to  me,  not 
thinking  it  possible  that  people  could  be  induced  to  make 
such  exaggerated  statements  under  the  solemnity  of  an 
oath.  I  could  have  brought  forwaid  abundance  of  tes- 
timony to  have  contradicted  the  whole  evidence  against 
me  if  there  was  time,  but  not  expecting  that  the  cause 
8 


86 


^arraiiive  of  ike  lAfe,  Sfc. 


would  have  taken  the  course  it  did,  was  unprepared. 
There  appeared  to  be  a  complete  combination  of  the 
professional  craft  against  me,  of  both  the  doctors  and 
lawyers,  and  a  determination  that  I  should  lose  the 
cause,  let  the  evidence  be  what  it  might.  My  law- 
yers gave  up  the  case  without  making  a  plea  ;  and 
the  judge  gave  a  very  partial  charge  to  the  jury,  repre- 
senting me  in  the  worst  point  of  view  that  he  possibly 
could,  saying  that  the  evidence  was  sufficient  to  prove- 
the  facts  against  me, '  and  that  if  I  had  been  tried  for 
my  life,  he  could  not  say  whether  it  would  hang  me  or 
send  me  to  the  state  prison  for  life.  The  jury  <^  course 
gave  their  verdict  against  ^ne,  and  I  had  to  pay  the  cost 
of  the  court. 

The  counsel  for  Dr.  French  asked  the  judge  whether 
a  warrant  ought  not  to  be  issued  against  me,  and  be 
compelled  to  recognize  to  appear  at  the  neart  court,  to 
which  he  answered  in  the  affirmative.  This  so  fright- 
ened my  friends,  that  they  were  much  alarmed  for  ray 
safety,  and  advised  me  to  go  out  of  the  way  of  my  ene- 
mies, for  they  seemed  to  be  determined  to  dentroy  me. 
I  went  to  Andover  to  the  house  of  a  friend,  whose  wife 
I  had  cured  of  a  car.cer,  where  I  was  very  cordially  re- 
ceived, and  staid  that  ni^t.  The  next  day  I  went  to 
Salisbury  Mills,  and  made  arrangements  to  pay  the  coet 
of  my  unfortunate  lawsuit. 

In  tibe  fall  of  the  year  1808, 1  was  sent  for  to  go  to 
Beverly,  to  see  the  wife  of  a  Mr.  Appleton,  who  was 
the  daughter  of  l^lder  Williams,  the  Baptist  Minister  in 
that  town,  and  was  very  low  in  a  consumption.  She 
had  formerly  been  afft'c.ed  with  the  salt  rheum  on  her 
hands,  and  had  apnlied  to  a  doctor  for  advice;  he  had 
adviaeid  her  to  make  use  of  a  sugar  of  lead  wash,  which 
drove  the  disease  to  her  lungs,  and  she  had  been  in  tibat 
utuation  for  a  long  time,  and  very  little  hopes  were  en- 
tertained of  her  ever  being  any  better.  1  carried  her 
throiiq^h  a  course  of  the  medicine,  with  very  good  suc- 
cesa»  I  remained  in  Beverly  about  a  week;  aoA  while 
therC)  becune  acquainted  with  Mr.  WilliamSj  and  a|io 
Mr.  William  Raymond,  to  whom  I  afterwards  gave  in>- 
forraation  of  my  practice  and  he  assisted  me  to  attend 
<m  sy  patients;    Then  returned  to  Portnnouth,  where 


Of  Samuel  Thtm$m,'  8T 

* 
I  was  constantly  called  on  to  pxActise,  and  had  all  the 
most  desperate  cases  put  under  my  care,  in  all  of  which 
I  met  with  very  great  success. 

After  staying  here  about  two  weeks,  I  returned  to 
Beverly,  to  see  Mrs.  Appleton  and  ot^er  patients  there, 
and  found  them  all  doing  well;  was  called  on  to  attend 
many  desperate  cases;  in  all  of  which  I  efiTected  a 
cure,  except  one,  who  was  dying  before  I  was  called  on. 
While  practising  in  Beverly,  was  called  on  by  a  Mr. 
Lovett,  to  attend  his  son,  who  was  sick,  as  they  8uppo»^ 
ed  with  a  bad  cold;  some  thought  it  a  typhus  fever.  I 
was  very  much  engaged  in  attending  upon  the  sick  at  the 
time,  and  could  not  go  with  him;  he  came  after  me 
three  times  before  I  could  go.  On  seeing  him,  found 
that  he  complained  of  a  stiff  neck,  and  appeared  to  be 
V9rj  stupid,  and  had  no  pain.  His  aunt,  who  took  care 
of  him,  said  that  he  would  certainly  die,  for  he  had  the 
same  symptoms  as  his  mother,  who  died  a  short  time 
before.  I  gave  some  medicine  which  relieved  him;  the 
next  day  carried  hira  through  a  course  of  the  medicine, 
and  he  appeared  to  be  doing  well.  Being  called  on  to 
go  Salem,  I  left  him  in  the  care  of  Mr.  Raymond,  with 
particular  directions  to  keep  in  the  house  and  not  expose 
himself  This  was  on  Wednesday,  and  I  heard  nothing 
from  him,  and  knew  not  but  what  he  was  doing  well,  till 
the  Sunday  afternoon  following,  when  I  was  informed 
that  he  was  worse.  I  immediately  inquired  of  Mr.  Ray- 
mond, and  learned  from  him  that  he  had  got  so  much 
better,  he  had  been  down  on  the  side  of  the  water,  and 
returned  on  Friday  night;  that  the  weather  was  very 
cold,  being  in  the  month  of  December;  that  he  had  been 
chilled  with  the  cold,  and  soon  after  his  return  had  been 
taken  very  ill;  he  staid  with  him  on  Saturday  night,  and 
that  he  was  raving  distracted  all  night;  that  he  had  not 
given  any  medicine,  thinking  he  was  too  dangerously 
sick  for  him  to  undertake  with. 

I  told  the  young  man's  father,  that  it  was  very  doubt- 
ful whether  I  could  do  any  thing  that  would  help  him; 
but  that  I  would  try,  and  do  all  I  could.  I  found  that 
the  patient  was  so  far  gone  that  the  medicine  would 
have  no  effect,  and  in  two  hours  told  him  that  I  could 


f 


JVarmim  of  the  Life,  Sfc. 


not  help  hii  son,  and  advised  him  to  call  some  other  ad- 
vice; tnis  was  said  in  presence  of  £lder  Williams,  and 
Mr.  Raymond.  Mr.  Lovett  made  answer  that  if  I  could 
ndt  help  his  son,,  he  knew  of  none  who  could ;  and  was 
verv  desirous  for  ipe  to  stay  with  him  all  night,  which 
I  did,  and  stood  bv  his  bed  the  whole  time.  He  was- 
much  deranged  m  his-  mind  till  morning,  when  he  came 
to  himself,  and  was  quite  sensible.  I  then  again  request' 
ed  the  father  to  send  for  some  other  doctor,  as  I  was 
sensible  that  I  could  do  nothing  for  him  that  would  be  of 
any  benefit.  He  immediately  sent  for  two  doctors,  and' 
as  soon  as  they  arrived,  I  left  him  in  their  care.  The 
two  doctors  attended  him  till  the  next  night  about  ten 
o'clock,  when  he  died.  I  have  been  more  particular  in 
giving  the  history  of  this  case,  because  two  years  after 
it  was  brought  as  a  charge  against  me  for  murdering  this 
young  man.  The  father  and  friends  expressed  no  dissat- 
isfaction  at  the  time,  in  regard  to  my  conduct,  except 
they  thought  I  ought  not  to  have  neglected  the  patient 
so  long;  but  it  was  a  well  known  fact,  that  I  attended  as 
soon  as  I  knew  of  his  being  worse,  and  that  the  whole 
cause  of  his  second  attack  was  owing  to  his  going  out 
and  exposing  himself,  and  could  not  be  imputed  as  ai^ 
fault  of  mine.  >»• 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  1808,  I  was  sent  for  to- 
attend  Elder  Bolles,  the  Baptist  minister  of  Salem.  I 
was  introduced  to-  him  by  Elder  Williams,  and  found  him 
in  bed,  wad  very  weak  and  low,  in  the  last  stage  of  a  con- 
sumption; all  hopes  of  a  recovery  were  at  an  end;  his 
doctors  left  him  as  incurable.  He  asked  my  opinion  of 
his  case;  I  told  him  that  I  could  not  tell  whether  there 
was  a  possibiKty^of  a  cure  or  not  tiH  aAer  using  the  medi- 
cine ;  being  doubtful  whetherthere  was  mortification  or  not. 
He  was  a  man  very  much  respected  and  beloved  by  his  peo- 
ple, and  the  public  anxiety  was  very  great  about  him.  Ho 
expressed  a  strong  desire  that  I  should  undertake  with  him ;: 
but  I  declined  ^oing  any  thing  until  he  coneulted  his  dea- 
cons and  other  members  of  his  church,  who  were  his  par- 
ticular friends,  and  their  advice  taken;  which  being  done,: 
they  offered  no  objection,  but  wished  him  to  act  his  own 
mind,  and  whatever  the  result  diould  be,  they  would  be 


Of  Stmud  Thmm». 


her  ad- 

na,  wmJ 
1  could 

uid  wa» 
;,  which 
He  was 
he  came 
request- 
as  I  was 
aid  be  of 
ors,  and' 
re.    The 
ibout  ten 
icular  in 
lars  after 
ering  this 
no  dissat* 
t,  except 
te  patient 
ttended  as 
ihe  whole 
g;oing  out 
ed  as  ai^ 

sent  forto- 
Salem.  I 
found  him- 
B  of  a  con- 
1  end;  his 
opinion  of 
her  there 

the  medi- 
tionornot. 
byhispco- 
him.  Ho 
i  with  him; 
id  his  dea- 
re  his  par- 
eing  done^ 
ct  his  own 

would  be 


% 


satisfied.  He  replied  that  he  waa  coBvinoed  that  ha 
could  not  live  in  his  present  situation  more  than  a  week, 
and  therefinre  his  life  could  not  be  shortened  more  than 
that  time;  and  it  was  his  wish  that  I  should  undertake 
to  cure  him.  His  strength  was  so  far  jBxhausted  that  it 
was  with  the  greatest  exertions  and  diflk^ulty  that  they 
could  ^et  him  to  sit  up  about  three  minutes  in  a  day,  to 
have  his  bed  made. 

I  gave  his  friends  as  correct  an  account  of  his  disorder 
and  the  operation  of  the  medicine  as  I  could;  and  that 
I  did  not  wish  to  do  any  thing  m^ich  might  cause  reflec- 
tion hereafter;  but  they  promised  that,  let  the  result  be 
what  it  might,  they  should  be  iutisfied,  and  would  not 
think  hard  of  me.    On  these  conditions  I  undertook, 
and  told  them  that  twenty-four  hours  time  would  decide 
whether  he  lived  or  died.     I  began 'to  give  the  medicine 
in  the  morning,  which  had  a  very  calm  and  easy  opera- 
tion.    The  emetic  herb  operated  very  kindly,  and  threw 
off  his  stomach  a  large  quantity  of  cold  jelly,  like  the 
white  of  an  egg;  the  perspiratioii  moved  gently  on,  and 
was  free;   the  internal  heat  produced  by  the  medicine 
lixed  the  determining  power  to  the  surface,  and  threw 
out  the  putrefaction  to  such  a  degree  that  the  smell  was 
very  offensive.    Mr.  Bolles  had  a  brother  present  who 
was  a  doctor;  he  observed  that  he  did  not  know  wheUier 
the  medicine  made  the  putrefaction,  or  whether  it  made 
visible  what  was  secreted  in  the  body;  but  he  was  soon 
convinced  on  that  head,,  for  when  the  medicine   had 
cleansed  him,  all  this  putrid  smell  ceased.     While  the 
medicine  was  in  the  greatest  operation,  the  perspiration 
brought  out  the  putrefaction- to  such  a  degree,  that  the 
nurse  in  making  his  bed  was  so  affected  with  it,  that  she 
fainted   and  fell  on  the  floor.     I  attended  on  him  for 
about  three  weeks,  in  which  time  he  was  able  to  set  up : 
two  or  three   hours  in  a  day;    his  food  nourished   his 
body,  and  his  strength  gained  very  fast,  considering  the 
season  of  the  year  being  unfavorable.     I  gave  him  my 
best  advice  and  left  directions  how  to  proceed,  and  re-  • 
turned  home  to  my  family  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  win- 
ter with  them.     I  returned  in  the  spring  to  see  Mr.^ 
BoUes,  and  found  him  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to 
ride  out  and  in  good  spirits.     He  soon  gained  his  health, 
8* 


1^ 


JVarrvfive  of  tkt  Lift,  tfc. 


and  is  now  well  and  ready  to  give  testimeny  of  the  facte 
as  I  have  related  them.     [1836.] 

In  the  season  of  1809,  I  sufiered  much.  In  the  first 
part  of  the  summer,  I  attended  many  patients  of  old  com- 
plaints; in  particular,  one  case  that  I  shall  mention  of  a 
young  woman  in  Kittery  in  a  consumption.  She  had 
been  confined  to  her  house  four  months;  her  flesh  was 
exhausted  and  she  had  a  violent  stricture  of  the  lungs, 
which  she  said  seemed  as  though  there  was  a  string 
that  drawed  her  lungs  to  her  back;  this  caused  a  dry, 
hacking  cough,  which  was  very  distressing.  I  could  give 
her  friends  no  encouragement  of  a  cure ;  but  the  younv 
woman  and  her  friends  were  so  urgent,  that  I  undertook 
with  her.  Her  courage  was  very  great,  and  she  took 
the  medicines  and  followed  all  my  directions  with  great 
perseveruice.  She  said  she  wished  that  it  might  either 
kill  or  cure,  for  she  did  not  desire  to  live  in  the  situar 
tion  she  was  then  in.  I  left  her  medicine  and  directions, 
and  o^casionaily  visited  her.  My  plan  of  treatment  was 
followed  with  much  attention  and  £eal  for  six  months, 
before  I  could  raise  an  inward  heat  that  would  hold 
more  than  six  hours.  She  then  had  what  was  called  a 
settled  fever;  and  I  gave  her  medicine  to  get  as  great 
an  internal  heat  as  I  possibly  could;  this  caused  much 
alarm  among  her  friends,  as  they  thought  she  would 
certainly  die.  I  told  them  that  the  heat  holdinff,  which 
was  the  cause  of  the  fever,  was  the  first  favorable  «smp^ 
torn  that  I  had  seen  in  her  favor.  She  soon  sained  her 
healthy  to  the  ^uitonishnient  of  all  her  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. She  continued  to  enjoy  good  health  till 
the  next  seasota,  when  she  bad  another  turn  of  the  fever. 
I  attended  heir  in  my  usual  way,  and  raised  the  heat  till 
it  completely  overpowered  the  cold,  when  she  was  entire- 
ly cured,  and  has  ever  since  enjoyed  good  health.  [18S2.] 

Durinff  this  summer,  a  woman  applied  to  me  from  a 
neighbormg  town,  who  had  the  dropsy,  and  brought 
with  her  a  little  girl,  who  had  the  rickets  very  bad,  so 
that  she  was  grown  much  out  of  shape.  I  carried  them 
both  through  a  course  of  the  medicine,  attended  them 
for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  then  gave  the  woman  infor- 
mation how  to  relieve  herself  and  the  girl,  occasionally 
visiting  them.    They  both  recovered  of  their  complaints. 


Of  8tmml  Thoiaacn,' 


21 


and  have  enjoyed  perfect  health  since.  This  woman 
paid  me  the  most  liberally  of  any  that  I  had  attended, 
and  haa  on  all  occasions  manifested  her  gratitude  for  the 
assistance  I  afforded  her.  -  Another  woman  from  the 
same  town  applied  to  me,  who  had  a  cancer  on  her 
breast.  She  had  been  under  the  care  of  several  doctors, 
who  had  by  their  course  of  practice  made  her  worse.  I 
undertook  with  her,  and  by  giving  medicine  to  check  the 
canker  and  promote  perspiration,  effectually  relieved  her 
from  the  disease.  Many  other  desperate  cases,  such  as 
consumptions  J  dropsies,  cancers,  &c.  most  of  which  had 
been  given  oyer  by  the  doctors,  were  attended  by  me 
about  this  time,  which  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me  to 
particularize;  all  of  them  were  either  completely  cured 
or  essentially  relieved  and  made  comfortable  by  the  sys- 
tem of  practice.  One  case  I  shall,  however,  state,  bemg 
rather  of  an  extraordinary  nature,  to  show  the  absurdity 
of  the  fashionable  manner  of  treating  disease  by  the  doo 
tors  of  the  present  day. 

A  young  lady  applied  to  me  who  had  been  much 
troubled  with  bleedmg  at  th%  stomach.  She  stated  to 
me  that  she  had  been  bled  by  the  doctors  forty-two 
times  in  two  years;  and  that  they  had  bled  her  seven 
times  in  six  weeks.  So  much  blood  had  been  taken 
from  her,  that  the  blood  vessels  had  contracted  in  such 
manner  that  they  would  hold  very  little  blood;  and  the 
heat  being  thereby  so  much  diminished,  the  water  filled 
the  flesh,  and  what  little  blood  there  was  rushed  to  her 
face,  while  all  the  extreinities  were  cold.  This  produced 
a  deceptive  appearance  of  health,  and  caused  those  who 
judged  by  outward  appearances,  to  doubt  whether  there 
was  any  disease ;  so  that  she  had  not  only  to  bear  her 
own  infirmities,  but  the  reproache  of  her  acquaintances. 
I  kindled  heat  enough  in  the  body  to  throw  off  the  use- 
less water,  which  gave  the  blood  room  to  circulate 
through  the  whole  system,  incitcad  of  circulating  as  it 
had  done  before,  only  in  the  large  blood  vessels,  and 
they  being  much  extended  by  not  having  heat  enough 
to  give  it  motion,  leads  the  doctors  into  the  erroneous 
idea,  that  there  is  too  much  blood,  and  resort  to  the 
practice  of  bleeding,  which  reduces  the  strength  of  the  ^ 
patient,  and  increases  the  disease.    There  is  no  such 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1^  Itt   12.2 


1.1 


lU 

U 


14.0 


11.25 


Itaographic 

Sdeoces 

Corporalion 


■<'  4*^ 


4*^ 


\ 


<^ 


23  WIST  MAIN  STMIT 

WnSTn,N.Y.  I45M 

(716)S72-4S03 


^^    ^\  ^r\\ 


Mif  90  •  p«rson  lMiiipg499  niidi  blood,  no  more  thin 
tbeiro  ui  of  iMiritg  loo  vmch.  bono,  or  too  much  nmaolo, 
orfinews;  n«t«Hreciootrivoi<fitttbin|ingbt.  Tboblood 
OMf  bo  too  duelE,  so  M  nfl*  to  ovoulolo,  «nd  io  liohlo  lo 
b«  dioeaaoi,  liko  oU  olhorpwMiQf  tbobody;  but  bow 
tikini  pUffc  of  it  awMF  con  bonofit  tbo  nmr  or  tend  in. 
my  mag  to  ,|ioiqoiw  tbo;  dieonw,  »>  wbal  I  coijdd  nevoi 
rei^ioMe  witb  ooniniQttiseneo.  Aftier  i  bod  oonied  thie 
woifi«n  tbrougb  a  M^^  operolion  <^  tbo  niedicUie,.  and 
go|t  tbo  boot  to  btddfOQ .a«  to;|^Ni4iiee  a  niiliural  porepi- 
ro^n^  Aa  at  once  <»bibkeA«  tniOt|»iBture  of  ber;  eitup 
a|tion|.  innl|<\od  of  araeamg  ta  bo  fo  ^flesby  and  well  as 
abe  bnd  denoriibo  mlt  owi^ondbecoaMqiiUoeinooiqiledj;; 
but  00  ■Qon  n#>^9  digoilivo  poww«  wore  restored,  ootbot 
food  ooiild  nonrwb  bit  bod^,  idio  gainod  ber  strOBigtb  and 
flpub^-  and  in  a  aliOTt  tkm  wan  confdetejy  restored  to 
hooWi,    .  ■.-», 

inWM  abont^  tbia  tine  ^dledtOiaHondawoinan  wbo 
was  very  severely  attacked  with  tbo  apotted  Ibvev.  Tbo^ 
^plappearanoo of  itwasa poiniabor bee),  wbieb wnhi 
moTOQ^  op  to  ber  bipa  and  baeb,  &o«i  thence  to  ber 
stomaob.  and  bead;  so  that  in  fifteen  minvtea  ber  wgbt 
waa  gone,,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  she  was  senaop 
10ia> and; cold.  About  ibis  time  I  saw  her  and  examined' 
well  tbe  eanse  of  ^  {disease}  I  wiw  well  satisfied  that 
it  waa>tbe  e^Cbot  of;  o^Id  baviiu|  overpowered  the  inward 
h#aj^  By  oonSning.4ior!#romitbo;«iK,  giving  her  Nos.  1 
andtSV^uM  ^keeping  beri in.* moderator  steam,  she  in  a 
short  time  oame  to  ber  100000$  and  tbe  symptoms  were 
esaotl^  uniilar  to  a  drovnod  feraon  coming  to,  after 
hiring  Wk  suspended  by  boiog  under  wotor.  As-  soon 
as  tbo  pon^iritfion  becainf)  free^  all  pain  ceased^  and  An 
was  quito  comi^rtable;  in  tiRonty*^r  hoiurs  the  diseaoo 
waSv.coMm>letely  removed,  and  sbe  wan  able  to  attend  to 
hoijiork. 

{lie  fame  dajr  I  had  another  caoe  of  a  child  which 
tha  doetor  had  given/ over.  When  I  came  to.  this  child 
it  WW  senseless,  and  I  expected  in  «  mortified  state.  I 
gave  it  the  hottest  medicine  I  could  get,  with  the  emeuc; 
it  j^v  about  six  houra  silent,  before  the  medicine  had 
kindled  heat  enough  to  cause  motion  in  the  stomach  and 
bowels,  when  it  began  to  revive,  and  what  came  from  it 


0/ 


WM  Miok  wd  putrid;  the  boweb  juit  escaped  moi 
tiott.    The  obild  wte  sooa  well.    Theee  two  caies  were 
both  cured  ki  twrnty-fouv  houni  time;-         .  '^  • : 

When  the  epottea  fiiTer  Ant  ftppeared  i|i  Portamoiith, 
the  doctore  htd  five  caeee  and  all  of  them  died.  I  had 
five  case«  nmilar,  aU  of  which  lived.  Beeauie  mj  par 
iients  did  not  die,  the  dootora  said  they  did  not  have  the 
fever.  In  thia  thejT  had  nracb  the  advantage  of  me;  for 
there  could'  be  no  doubt  of  theirs  all  having  it,  as  death 
was,  in  most  of  the  eases  under  their  care,^  on  their  side, 
and  decided  the  question.  I  have  had  a  great  number 
of  cases  of  the  B|K»tted  fe^jr  under  mj  care,  and  in  all 
of  them  used  the  remains  of  heat  as  a  firiend,  by  kindling 
iit  so  as  to  produce  heat  enough  in  the  bodv  to  overpower 
and  drive  out  the  told;  >aid  have  never  fimed  of  success, 
where  there  was  any  chance  ef  a  cure. 

Some  time  this  season  I  was  sent  for  to  attend  Captain 
Triokey,  who  was  verv  sick.  I  examined  him  and  was 
confident  that  I  ooulo  not  heln  him,  and  took  n^  hat 
in  order  to  leavo  the  house.  His  family  insisted  on  my 
stopping  and  ddng  aomethinc  for  him)  but  I  told  them 
that  I  thought  he  was  in  a  dving  state,  and  medicine 
would  do  no  md.  I  told  his  son  that,  in  all  proba- 
bility, he  wduld  not  btf  idive  over  twenty-four  hours,  and 
that  he  had  better  co  for  swne^  other  help,  for  I  could 
do  him  no  good.  I  told  the  wife  that  I  mavAA  give  no 
medicine  myself  but  as  they  had  some  in  the  house 
that  they  knew  tlia  nature  of^  she  might  give  some  of  it 
to  her  husband,  which  ^e  did.  Two  doctors  were  sent 
for;  the  first  one  that  arrived  bled  him,  and  he  soon 
bre^hed  very  diort,  and  grew  worse;  the  other  doctor 
came,  and  said  thit  his  ureathing  short  was  in  conse- 
quence of  the  medicine  I  hud  given  him;  but  by  this 
he  did  not  gain  ore^t,  for  all  the  family  knew  to  the 
contrary;  end  the  woman  soon  after  told  me  of  his 
speech.  The  patient  continued  till  the  next  day  d||ut 
ten  o'clock ,  ano  died.  Soon  as  he  was  dead^  the  doefaMn 
and  their  fi'lends  spared  no  pains  to  spread  the  report  in 
every  direotioUt  '^a'.  I  had  killed  this  man  with  my  screw 
auger,  a  Cant  name  given  to  my  emetic  herb,  in  conse- 
quence of  one  of  my  patients,  when  under  the  operation 
of  it,  saying  th«t  it  twisted  in  him  like  a  screw  auger. 


ISiM  WM  T—Mj^  Mioed  upon  by  the,  ^iieion»  aud  Sifid* 
use  of  fi»r  Ui«  purpoie  oC  tryiag  io  dMtioy  the  repiili^ 
tion  of  this  medicine  b«r  ridibuli.  TImjt  ukewkM  Mve 
simiUur  namee  to  mvm:u  other  articlea  (m  my  medidiae, 
for  the  same  purpose :  and  represented  them  aa  the  oanaa 
by  which  I  cabled  thorn.  Tttey  had  likewiio  jivea  me 
several  names  and  titles,  by  way  ^  reproack;  Mioh  •• 
tiie  sweating,  and  steaming  doctor;  the  Indian  doctor; 
the  old  wiziuurd;  and  scMaetimes  the  quaok.  Suok 
Kind  <^  mana|(ement  had  a  great-effect  on  the  minda  of 
many  weak  nunded  people;  they  were  M  aftaid  of  rldi- 
Gule»  that  those  whom  I  had  cured  were  unwUUng  to 
ojwn'  it,  for  fear  of  being  laughed  at  for  emj^oying 
me.  ..    ■  ■  i^'M ».*«;»*•  It 

The  circumstance  of  the  death  of  the  aboiie  nention- 
ed  Capt.  Trickey,  was  seized  upon  bv  the  dootora  tad 
tfaior  mends,  and  the  most  folae  and  aosurd  pesreaeiita- 
tioBs  made  b^  them  through  the  coimti^,  with'tne  iBten* 
tioa  of  atoppms  my  practice,  by  getting  me  kdicted  for 
murder,  or  to  drive  me  off;  but  mv  firieadi  made  mil  a 
correct  statement  of  the  fads,  and  had  them  publiahad, 
which  put  a  stop  to  their  career  for  that  tine.  I  cm* 
tinned  my  practice,  and  had  a  great  number  of  the  moil 
desperate  oases,  in  most  of  which  I  was  auoceisAil. 
The  extraordinary  cures  I  had  perftHrmed,  had  the  ten- 
dency/tp  nnke  raaiw  people  beUeve,  that  I  could  cure 
every  one  who  had  ufein  them,  let  Iheir diseaae  be  aver 
ee  had;  and  wher;«  I  bad  attended  on  those,  who  were 
given  over  as  incurable,  and  they  ^ed;  whether  I  gave 
wem  any  medicine  or  not,  the  report  was  iimnediately 
circulated  that  they  were  killed  by  me,  at  the  same  time 
the  regular  doctors  wou^diose  their  patients  every  day, 
without  there  being  any  notice  taken  of  k.  When  tkMr 
patients  died)  if  eppcerances  were  ever  so  much  aaidnst 
thear  practice,  it  was  said  to  be  the  will  of  Uie  Lord,  and 
sulpatted  to  withoirt  a  munnur ;  but  if  one  kwpeaed  to 
.  die  that  I  had  any  thing  to  do  with,  k  was  readily  report- 
ed bv  those  interested  in  destroying  my  credit  wkh  the 
people,  that  I  killed  them. 

I  could  mention  a  great  number  ef  cases  of  the  cures 
that  I  performed,  if  I  thou|ht  it  necessary;  but  my  in- 
tenMon  is  to  give  the  partiovlam  of  auon  only  as  wUI 


to 


Of  SumMl  Tkomnn. 


96 


hftve  the  greatest  tendency  to  convey  to  the  reader  the 
most  correct  information  of  my  mode  of  practice,  with- 
out repeating  any  that  were  treated  in  a  aimilar  manner, 
to  tiiose  already  given.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  give  the 
paftiicttlars  of  Otoe  of  the  most  important  chrcumstances 
of  my  life,  in  as  correct  and  impartial  a  manner  as  I  am 
capable  of  doing  from  memory ;  in  order  to  show  wliat  I 
have  suflRsred  from  the  persecutions  of  some  of  the  medi** 
cal  faculty,  for  no  other  reason,  as  I  conceive,  than  that 
they  feared  my  practice  would  open  the  eyes  of  tiie 
pecmle,  and  lessen  their  importance  with  Aem;  by  giving 
such  information  as  woula  enable  them  to  cure  tfiem- 
selves  of  disease,  without  tiie  aid  of  a  doctor;  and  fiooi 
many  others,  who  were  governed  altogether  by  the  pro* 
judices  tiiey  had  formed  against  me  by  the  frwte  repovts 
that  had  been  circulated  abdut  my  practice,  without  hav^ 
ing  any  other  knowledge  of  me.  Many  of  tiie  latter, 
however,  have  since  been  convinced  of  their  error,  have 
a  veiy  frivorable  opinion  of  my  systenu  and  are  among 
my  best  friends.  ^%?fr^ 

After  praetisiBg  ir  those  parts  throiu^  the  season,  of 
1809,  I  went  home  to  Surry,  where  I  remained  a  few 
weelui,  and  returned  back  to  Salisbury.  On  my  way 
thetO)  I  made  {several  stops  in  different  {daces  where  I 
had  before  practised,  to  see  my  friends  and  to  give  infor> 
mation  to  those  who  made  use  of  my  medicme  and  prac- 
tice. On  my  arrival  at  Salisbury,  ray  friends  informed 
me  that  Dr.  French  had  been  very  busily  employed  in 
my  absence,  and  that  he  and  a  Deacon  Pedier,  who 
was  one  of  the  grand  jury,  had  been  to  Salens  to  the 
court,  and  on:  their  return  had  said  that  there  had  been 
a  bSl  of  indietm«it  found  against  me  for  wttAd  murder. 
Tliey  advised  bm  to  go  off,  and  keep  out  of  the  wny; 
but  I  told  then  I  iriiould  never  do  that;  for  if  they ' 


found  a  bUl  affainst  me,  the  government  must  prove  ditt 
charges,  or-1  mast  be  honoraA^  acquitted.  Abiat 
ten  o'clock  at  night  Dr.  Fnmch  came  to  the  place  wh«r« 
I  stopped,  with  «  constable,  and  made  me  a  prisoner  in 
behalf  of  the  ccnmnonweahh.  I  asked  the  constable  to 
read  the  warrant,  which  he  did;  by  this  I  found  that 
Dr.  French  was  the  only  complainant,  and  the  justice 
who  granted  tha~warrant,  ordered  me  before  him  to  be 


96 


AfHTolive  of  Ikt  li,ft^  Sfc. 


examined  the  next  morning.  I  was  then  taken  by  the 
constable  to  Dr.  French's  house,  and  keepers  were 
iriaced  o?er  me  to  prevent  me  from  escaping.  While  at 
his  house  and  a  prisoner,  Dr.  French  took  the  oppor- 
tunity to  abuse  and  insult  me  in  the  most  shame  All  man- 
ner that  can  be  conceived  of^  without  any  provocation 
on  my  part.  He  c<mtinued  his  abuse  to  me  till  between 
two  and  thre<B  o'clock,  when  he  took  his  horse  and  set 
out  for  Salem  to  get  the  indictment.  After  he  was  gone, 
I  fbund  on  inquiry  of  the  constable^  that  after  he  had 
been  before  the  grand  jury  and  caused  me  to  be  indict- 
ed, he  came  home  before  the  bill  was  made  out,  and 
finling  that  I  was  at  Salisbury,  fearing  I  mij^t  be  gone, 
and  he  should  miss  the  chance  of  gratifying  his  malioioui 
revenge  against  me,  he  went  to  a  brother  doctor^  who 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  before  whom  he  made  oath, 
that  he  had  probable  ground  to  suspect)  and  did  suspeot} 
diat  I  had  with  malice  aforethought,  murdered  sundry 
persons  in  the  course  of  the  year  past,  whose  names 
were  unknown  to  the  complainant;  upon  which  a  war- 
rant was  issued  against  me,  and  I  was  arrested  as  before 
stated,  in  order,  to  detain  and  keep  me  in  custody,  till  the 
indictment  could.be  obtained. 

In  the  morning  I  was  brought  before  the  said  iustice, 
and  he  not  being  ready  to  proceed  in  my  examuiation, 
the  court  was  aqjoumed  till  one  o'clock;  when  I  was 
again  brought  before  him,  and  he  said  he  cquld  not  try 
me  until  the  complainant  was  present,  and  a^ourned 
the  court  again  till  near  night.  The .  constable  took 
me  to  his  house  in  the  mean  time,  and  put  me  in  a 
back  room  and  left  me  alone,  all  of  them  leaving  the 
house.  When  tiiev.  came  back,  some  of  them  asked  me 
why  I  did  not  make  my  escape,  which  I  might  very 
ettily  have  done  out  of  a  back  window;  but  I  told  them 
tiMl  1  stood  in  no  fear  of  the  consequence,  having  done 
n^dthihg  idiereby  I  ought  to  be  punished;  that  1  was 
tflken  up  as  a  malefactor,  and  was  determined  to  be  con- 
victed as  such,  olr  honorably  acquitted.  Just  before 
night.  Dr.  French  arrived  with  a  Sheriff,  and  ordered 
me  to  be  delivered  up  bv  the  constable  to  the  Sheriff; 
and  after  Dr.  French  had  again  vented  his  speen  upon 
me  by  the  most  savage  abuse  that  language  could  ex- 


0/  Samuel  Tfumuim. 


W 


prtM,  Mi^iiig  that  X -was  a  murderer,  and  that  I  had 
imirdared  flffy,  and  he  could  pe^ve  it;  that  I  should  be 
either  hung  or  sent  to  the  State  prison  for  life,  and  he 
would  do  lul  in  his  power  to  have  me  convicted,  t  was 
then  put  in  irons  by  the  sheriff,  and  conveyed  to  the 
jail  in  Newburyport,  and  confined  in  a  dungeon,  with  n 
man  who  had  been  convicted  of  an  assault  on  a  girl 
six  years  of  age^  and  sentenced  to  sditary  confinement 
for  one  year.  He  seemed  to  be  glad  of  company;  and 
remuided  me  of  the  old  saying,  that  misery  loves  com- 
pany. I  was  not  allowed  a  chair  or  a  table,  and  nothing 
but  a  miserable  straw  bunk  on  the  floor,  with  one  poor 
blanket  which  had  never  been  waehed.  I  was  put  into 
thia  prison  on  the  10th  day  of  November,  1809;  the 
waather  was  very  cold,  and  no  fire,  and  not  even  the 
light  of  the  sun,  or  a  candle;  and  to  complete  the  whole, 
the  filth  ran  from  the  upper  rooms  into  our  cell,  and  was 
so  offensive  that  I  was  almost  stifled  with  the  smell.  I 
tried  to  rest  myself  as  well  as  I  could,  but  got  no  sleep 
that  night,  for  1  fek  something  crawling  oVer  me,  wiki^n 
caused  an  itching,  and  not  Knowing  what  the  cause 
was,  inq^red  of  my  fellow  sufferer;  he  said  that  it  wan 
the  lieC)  and  that  there  wae  enough  of  them  to  shingle  a 
meeting-house. 

In  the  morning  there  was  just  light  enough  sh<me 
through  the  iron  grates,  to  lAkow  the  horror  of  my  i^ua- 
timi.  My  spirits  and  the  justness  of  my  cause  pre- 
vented me  from  making  any  lamentation,  and  I  bore 
my  ittfibrings  without  complaint.  At  bredkfiurt  time  I 
waa  called  on  through  the  grates  to  take  oar  miseraMe 
breakfast;  it  consisted  of  an  old  tin  pot  of  musty  coflbe, 
without  sweetening  or  milk,  and  was  so  bad  as  to  be 
mwholesome;  witS  a  tin  pan  containing  a  hard  piece 
of  Indian  bread,  and  the  nape  of  a  fish,  which  waf  Ja 
hard  I  eould  not  eat  it  This  had  to  serve  us  tiH  ttive 
Velook  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  haA  aboot  tn  •jjMl 
Aura,  which  was  aJl  we  had  tin  the  nesct  morning.  Tha 
»ext  day  Mr.  O^^ood  came  firom  Salisbury  to  ae«  Bie, 
aad  on  witnessing  my  misertd^  situation,  h«  was  io 
liuohafibcted,^^  he  could  scarcely  speak.  Hebrongit 
na  fone  provi^ons,  which  I  iras  very  glad  to  reeetva: 
and  whaii  l  detferfted  to  hmt  my  miseraMe  bdgings,  ana 
9 


JViirraHM  0/  ilu  Hfe,  Sfc. 


the  horrid  place  I  wu  in,  he  wept  like  »  child.  He 
uked  liberty  of  the  j|ilor  to  flimiih  me  with  a  bed, 
which  was  granted,  and  brought  me  one,  and  other 
things  to  muce  me  more  comfortable.  The  next  day  I 
wrote  letters  to  my  iamily,  to  Dr.  Fuller,  and  to  Judge 
Rice,  Btatittg  to  them  my  eituation. 

Hie  bed  which  wae  brousht  me,  I  put  on  the  old  one, 
and  allowed  my  fellow  sun'erer  a  part  of  it,  for  which 
he  was  very  thankAil.  I  had  provisions  enough  brought 
me  by  my  firiends  for  us  both,  and  I  gave  him  what  I 
did  not  want)  the  crusts  and  scraps  that  were  left,  his 
poor  wife  would  come  and  beg,  to  carry  to  her  starving 
children,  who  were  dependent  on  her.  Her  situation 
and  that  of  her  husbahd  were  so  much  worse  than  mine, 
that  it  made  me  feel  more  reconciled  to  my  fate;  and  I 
gave  her  all  I.  could  spare,  besides  making  his  condition 
much  motre  comfortable,  fi>r  which  they  expressed  a  great 
deal  of  gratitude. 

In  a  few  days  after  my  confinement.  Judge  Rice 
came  to  see  me,  tad  brought  with  him  a  lawyer.  On 
consulting  upon  the  case,  they  advised  me  to  petition 
to  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  to  hold  a  special 
court  to  try  my  cause,  as  there  would  be  no  court  held 
by  law,  at  which  it  could  be  tried,  till  the  next  fall, 
and  Kd  there  could  be  no  bail  for  an  indictment  for 
qiunter,  I  should  have  to  lay  in  prison  nearly  a  year, 
whether  there  was  any  thing  asainst  me  or  not.  This 
was  the  policy  of  my  enemies,  thinking  that  they  could 
keep  me  in  prison  a  year,  and  in  all  probability  I 
should  not  live  that  time,  and  their  ends  would  be  rally 
answered. 

I  sent  on  a  petition  agreeably  to  the  advi<ie  of  my 
friends,  and  Judge  Rice  undertook  to  attend  to  the 
business  and  do  every  thing  to  get  the  prayer  of  the  pe- 
tition  granted,  l^p  roUowed  the  business  up  with  great 
seal,  and  did  «venr  thing  that  could  be  done  to  effect 
the  object.  I  think  he  told  me  that  he  or  the  lawyer, 
Bfr.  Bartlett,  ha4  rode  from  Newbuiypdrt  to  Boston 
fifteen  times  in  the  course  of  Ihree  weeks,  on  the  busi- 
ness. At  length  Judge  Parsons  agreed  to  hold  a 
special  court  at  Salem,  on  the  10th  day  of  December, 
to  try  the  cause,  which  was  one  month  from  the  day  1 


Of  Samul  Thmiuon.  '     $$ 

committed.  My  fKendi  were  very  attentat  .and 
xealous  in  my  cause,  and  every  preparation  waa  madf 
for  the  trial. 

During  this  time  the  weather  waa  very  cold,  and  I 
suffered  greatly  from  that  cause,  and  likewise,  fi'om  tht 
badness  of  the  air  in  our  miserable  cell,  ko^that  I  bad 
not  much  life  or  ambition;  Many  of  my  fUenda  eaiM 
to  see  me,  and  some  of  them  were  permitted  to  COHM 
into  the  cell;  but  the  air  was  so  bad  and  the  smell  io 
offensive,  that  they  could  not  stay  long.  M^  (H^nd, 
Dr.  Shephard,  came  to  see  me,  and  was  admitted  into 
our  dungeon.  He  staid  a  short  time,  but  said  it  waa  ao 
offensive  he  must  leave  me;  that  he  would  not  stay  in 
the  place  a  week  for  all  Newbuiy^rt.  (hi  Thanki|if- 
ing  day  we  were  taken  out  or  our  cell  and  put  m  a 
room  in  the  upper  story,  with  the  other  prisonera,  and 
took  supper  together;  they  consisted  of  murderers,  rob- 
bers, thieves,  and  poor  debtors.  All  of  us  triad  to 
enjoy  our  supper  and  be  in  as  good  spirits  aa  our  con- 
dition would  permit.  The  most  of  their  coroplainta 
were  of  the  filthiness  and  bad  condition  of  the  prison, 
in  which  we  all  agreed.  Before  it  was  dark  I  and  my 
companion  were  waited  upon  to  our  filthy  den  again. 
There  was  nothing  in  the  room  to  sit  upon  higher  thin 
the  thickness  of  our  bed;  and  when  I  wrote  any  th.?i§, 
I  bad  to  lay  on  my  belly,  in  which  situation  I  wrote  t^  ? 
Medical  Circular,  and  several  other  pieces,  which  wore 
afterwards  printed. 

After  I  had  been  in  prison  about  two  weeks,  my  son- 
in-law  came  to  see  me.  I  had  before  my  imprisonment 
sent  for  him  to  come  to  Portsmouth  on  some  businaia, 
and  on  hearing  of  my  being  in  prison,  he  immediatoly 
came  to  Newburyport  to  see  me.  He  seemed  much 
more  troubled  about  my  situation  than  I  was  myself. 
I  felt  perfectly  consciousof  my  innocence  and  waa  sat- 
isfied that  I  had  done  nothing  to  merit  such  cruel  treat- 
ment; therefore  my  mind  was  free  frooi  reproach;  for 
I  had  pursued  the  course  of  duty,  which  I  conceived 
was  allotted  me  by  my  Maker,  and  done  everything  in 
my  power  to  benefit  my  fellow-creatures.  These  re- 
flections supported  me  in  my  troubles  and  persecutions, 
and  I  was  perfectly  resigned  to  my  fate. 


leo 


JVWrM<ioe  of  tlu  L{fe,  Sfe. 


About  thki  time,  a  lawyer  came  into  the  pritoii  ud 
read  to  me  the  indictment,  which  waa  in  the  comummi 
form)  that  I,  with  malice  aforethought,  not  having  th* 
fear  of  God  before  my  evee,  but  moved  by  the  inetigap 
tion  of  the  devil,  did  kiU  and  murder  the  said  Lovatt, 
with  lobelia,  a  deadly  poison,  &e. ;  but  feeUna  ao  par- 
leetly  innocent  of  the  chargea,  which  the  biu  idlegad 
against  me,  it  had  very  little  effect  upon  my  feelings; 
knowing  them  to  be  false,  and  that  they  had  been 
iHTought  against  me  by  my  enemies,  without  any  provo* 
cation  on  my  part. 

In  the  morning  of  the  day  that  was  appointed  for  me 
to  be  removed  to  Salem  for  trial,  I  was  taken  out  of  my 
loathsome  ceB  by  the  jailor,  who  gave  me  water  to 
wash  myself  with,  and  I  was  permitted  to  take  my  break- 
fast b^  a  fire,  which  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  any 
for  thirty  days,  and  could  not  bear  to  sit  near  it  in  con- 
sequence of  its  eausing  me  to  feel  faint.  As  soon  as  I 
had  eaten  my  breakfast,  the  iron  shackles  were  brought 
and  put  on  my  hands,  which  I  was  obliged  to  wear  tiU  I 
got  to  Salem.  The  weather  was  very  cold,  and  the 
g<Hng  bad;  we  slopped  but  once  on  the  way,  the  di»> 
tance  being  about  twenty-six  miles.  On  our  arrival,  I 
was  delivered  over  to  the  care  (^  the  keeper  of  the  prison 
in  Salem,  and  was  confined  in  a  room  in  the  second 
story,  which  was  more  comfortable  than  the  one  I  had 
left.  I  was  soon  informed  that  Judge  Parsons  was  sick, 
and  had  put  off  my  trial  for  ten  days;  so  I  had  to  re- 
concile myself  to  the  idea  of  being  confined  ten  days 
more  without  fire.  However  I  was  not  without  friends; 
Elder  Belles  and  Capt.  Russell  came  to  see  me  the  first 
n^^ht,  and  Mrs.  Russell  sent  her  servant  twice  every  day 
with  warm  coffee,  and  other  things  for  my  comfort,  for 
which  I  have  always  been  grateful;  and  Mrs,  Perkins, 
whom  I  had  cured  ,pf  a  dropsy,  sent  for  my  clothes  to 
wash  against  the  dAy  of  my  trial. 

Many  of  my  firiendi9  came  to  Salem  to  attend  my  trial; 
some  as  witnesses,  and  others  to  afford  me  any  assistance 
in  their  power.  A  few  days  before  my  trial,  Judge 
Rice  and  Mr.  Bartlett,  whom  I  had  (Employed  as  my 
lawyer,  held  a  consultation  with  me,  as  to  the  arrange- 
ments necessary  to  be  made;  when  it  was  decided  thai 


Of  Samml  Jhmmm. 


101 


it  woaM.  be  beit  to  have  other  couneel;  and  Mr.  Story 
was  agreed  upon,  who  engaged  in  my  cause.  I  had 
also  engaged  Afr.  Bannister,  of  Newburyport,  to  assist 
in  the  trial;  but  he  was  of  no  benefit  to  me,  and  after- 
wards sued  me  for  fifty  dollars,  at  fifty  miles  distance, 
to  put  me  to  great  expense.  In  order  to  be  prepared 
for  the  trial,  my  counsel  held  a  consuhation  together, 
and  examined  the  principal  witnesses  in  the  defence. 
Mr.  BoUes,  Judge  Kice,  and  several  others  gave  great 
satisfaction  as  to  the  value  and  usefiilness  ofthe  medi> 
cine,  and  the  varietv  of  cures  that  had  been  perform- 
ed with  it  within  their  knowledge.  Dr.  Fuller,  of  Mil- 
ford,  N.  H.  was  present  and  made  many  statements 
in  my  favor,  as  to  the  value  of  the  medicine,  and 
advised  to  have  Dr.  Cutler,  of  Hamilton,  summoned, 
which  was  done. .  JEvejry  thing  was  done  by  my  firienda 
that  was  in  their  power,  to  assist  me  and  give  me  a 
chance  for  a  fair  trial,  for  which  I  shall  always  feel  very 
grateful. 

On  the,  20th  day  of  December,  1809,  the  Supreme 
Court  convened  to  hear  my  trial,  at  which  Judge  Parsons 

S resided,  with  Judges  Sewall  and  Parker,  assistant 
udges.  The  case  was  called  about  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  the  chief  justice  ordered  me  td  be  brought 
from  the  prison  and  arraigned  at  the  bar  for  trial.  I 
was  waited  on  by  two  constables,  one  on  my  right  and 
the  other  on  my  left,  in  which  situation  I  was  brought 
from  the  jail  to  the  court-house  and  placed  in  the 
bar.  The  court-house  was  so  crowded  with  the  peo- 
ple, that  it  was  with  much  difficulty  w^  could  ^et  in. 
After  I  was  placed  in  the  criminal  seat,  a  chair  ^as 
handed  me  and  I  sat  down  to  wait  for  fiirther  orders. 
Here  I  was  the  object  for  this  great  concourse  of  people 
to  look  at;  some  with  pity,  others  with  scorn.  In  a 
few  minutes  I  was  directed  to  rise  and  hold  up  my  right 
hand,  to  hear  the  indictment  read,  which  the  grand  jury 
had  upon  their  oaths  presented  agiunst  me.  It  was  in 
common. form,  stating  that  I  had  with  malice  afore-' 
thought,  murdered  Ezra  Lovett,  with  lobelia,  a  deadly 
poison.  I  was  then  directed  by  the  court  to  plet^  to  the 
indictment,  guilty,  or  not  guilty;  I  plead  not  guilty,  and 
9* 


loe 


JVarralMV  of  Ike  Lift,  ife. 


the  usual  foriM,  in  mioh  cams,  were  paeied  througb,  t6# 
jury  called  and  aworn,  and  the  trial  comnienced. 

The  Solicitor  Greneral  arose,  and  opened  the  case  on 
the  part  of  the  Commonwealth,  ana '  made  many  hard 
statements  against  me,  which  he  said  he  was  ahout  io 
prove;  he  stated  that  I  had  at  sundry  times  killed  my 
patients  with  the  same  poison.  The  nrst  witness  called 
to  the  stand,  on  the  part  of  the  government,  was  Mr. 
Lovett,  the  father  of  the  young  man  that  I  was  accused 
of  killing.  'He  made  a  tolerable  fair  statement  of  the 
affair  in  general,  particularly  of  coming  sAer  me  several 
times  before  I  could  attend;  though  I  think  he  exagger-' 
ated  man?  things  against  me^  and  told  over  several  ncti* 
tious  and  ridiculous  names,  which  people  had  given  my 
medicine,  by  way  "of  ridicule,  such  as  buU-dos,  ram-cat, 
screw-auger,  and  belly-my-grizzle ;  all  of  which  had  a 
tendency  to  prejudice  the  court  and  jury  against  me ; 
and  I  also  thought  thi^  he  omitted  to  tell  many  things  in 
my  fovor,  that  must  have  been  within  his  knowledge; 
but  there  was  nothing  in  his  evidence  that  in  the  least  . 
criminated  me,  or  supported  the  charges  in  the  indict- 
ment. 

The  next  witness  called,  was  Dr.  Howe,  to  prove  that 
I -had  administered  the  poison  alleged  in  the  indict- 
ment. He  stated  that  1  gave  the  poison  to  the  said 
Lovett,  and  produced  a  sample  of  it,  which  he  said  was 
the  root  of  lobelia.    The  Judge  adced  him  if  he  was 

rsitive  that  it  was  lobelia;  he  said  he  was,  and  that 
ctfled  it  cofiee.  The  sample  was  handed  round  for 
the  court  to  examine,  and  they  all  appeared  to  be  afraid 
of  it,  and  after  they  had  all  satisfied  their  curiosity. 
Judge  Rice  took  it  in  his  hand  and  ate  it,  which  very 
much  surprised  them.  The  Sjolicitor  General  asked 
him  if  he  meant  to  poison  himself  in  presence  of  the 
court.  He  said  it  vrould  not  hurt  him  to  eat  a  peck 
of  U,  which  seemed  to  strike  the  court  with  astonish- 
ment. Dr.  Howe  was  then  called  at  my  request  for 
cross-examination,  and  Mr.  Story  asked  him  to  de- 
scribe lobelia,  how  it  looked  when  growing,  as  he  had 
sworn  to  it  by  the  taste  and  smell.  This  seemed  to  put 
him  to  a  stand,  and  after  being  speechless  for  several 
minutes,  he  said  he  bad  not  seen  any  so  long,  he  should 


Of  Smnml  Vummm. 


100 


not  know  it  if  be  ihoukl  m«  it  at  thia  time.  This  no  com- 
pletely contradicted  and  did  away  all  that  he  had  before 
stated,  that  he  went  off  the  itand  quite  cast  down. 

Dr.  Cutler  watf  called  on  to  inform  the  court  what  the 
medicine  was  that  Dr.  Howe  had  declared  so  positively 
to  be  lobelia,  and  after  examining  it,  he  said  that  it  ap- 
peared to  him  to  be  marsh-rosemary,  which  was  the  fact. 
So  far,  all  they  had  proved  against  me  was,  that  I  had 
given  the  young  man  some  marsh-rosemary,  which  Dr. 
Cutler  had  declared  to  be  a  good  medicine. 

Some  younff  women  were  brought  forward  as  wit- 
nesses, whom  I  had  no  knowlfdge  orerer  seeing  before. 
'They  made  some  of  the  most  absurd  and  ridiculous 
statements  about  the  medicine,  that  they  said  I  gave  the 
^oung  faian,  that  were  probably  ever  made  in  a  court  of 
justice  before ;  some  of  which  were  too  indecent  to  be 
here  repeated.  On^ot'^them  said  that  I  crowded  my 
puke  down  his  throat,  and  he  cried  murder  till  he  died. 
This  was  well  known  to  be  a  falsehood,  and  that  the 
story  was  wholly  made  up  by  my  enemies,  as  well  as 
what  had  been  before  stated  by  those  women,  for  the 
purpose  of  trying  to  make  out  something  against  me.  I 
nad  two  unimpeachable  witnesses  in  court,  ready  to 
swear  that  I  never  saw  the  young  man  for  more  than 
fourteen  hours  before  he  dteo,  during  all  which  time  he 
was  in  the  care  of  Dr.  Howe ;  but  by  not  having  an  op- 
portunity to  make  iny  defence,  in  consequence  of  the 
government  not  mailnff  out  their  case  against  me,  could 
not  brinff  them  forward. 

John  Lemon  was  the  next  witness  brought  forward  on 
the  part  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  was  directed  to  state 
what  he  knew  about  the  prisoner  at  the  bar.  He  stated 
that  he  had  been  out  of  health  for  two  years,  being  much 
troubled  with  a  pain  in  his  breast,  and  was  so  bad  that 
he  was  unable  to  work;  that  he  could  get  no  help  from 
the  doctors;  that  he  Ipplied  to  me  and  I  had  cured  him 
jn  one  week;  and  that  Was  all  he  knew  about  the  pris- 
oner at  the  bar.  By  this  time  Judge  Parsons  appeared 
to  be  out  of  patience,  and  said  he  wondered  what  they 
had  for  a  grand  jury,  to  find  a  bill  on  such  evidence. 
The  Solicitor  Greneral  said  he  had  more  evidence  which 
he  wished  to  bring  forward. 


r 


104 


A*atTff(tve  of  the  lAfe,  tfc. 


Dr.  French  was  called,  and  as  he  had  been  the  most 
busy  actor  in  the  whole  business  of  getting  me  indicted, 
and  had  beon  the  pruicipal  cause,  by  his  own  evidence, 
as  I  was  informed^  of  the  grand  jury  finding  a  bill  against 
me,  it  was  expepted  that  his  evidence  now  would  be  su^ 
ficient  to  condemn  me  at  once;  bui  it  turned  out  like  the 
rest,  to  amount  to  nothinff.  He  was  asked  if  he  knew 
the  prisoner  at  the  bar;  lie  said  he  did.  He  was  then 
directed  to  state  what  he  knew  about  him.     He  said  the 

Erisoner  had  practised  in  the  piirt  of  the  country  where 
e  lived,  with  good  success;  and  lus  medicine  was  harm- 
less, "beiiu;  gathered  by  tj{ie  children  for  the  use  of  the 
families.  The  Judge  was  about  to  charge  the  jury,  when 
the  Solicitor  General  arose  and  said,  that  if  it  was  not 
proved  to  be  murder,  it  might  be  found  for  manslahghter. 
The  Judge  said,  you  have  nothing  against  the  man,  and 
again  repeated  that  he  wondered  what  they  had  for  a 
grand  jury. 

In  his  charge  to  the  jury,  the  Judge  stated  that  the 
prisoner  had  broken  no  law,  common  or  statute,  and 
quoted  Hale,  who  says,  any  person  may  administer  medi- 
cine with  an  intention  to  do  good;  and  if  it  has  the  con- 
trary effect  from  his  e:{(pectation,  and  kills  the  patient,  it 
is  not  murder,  nor  even  manslaughter.  If  doctors  must 
risk  the  lives  of  their  patients,  who  would  practise?  He 
quoted  another  clause  of  law  from  Blackstone,  who  says, 
where  no  malicQ  is,  no  action  lies.*  : 


*  Ab  the  learned  Jndge  could  find  no  law,  common «r  statute,  to 
poniah  the  accused,  he  directed  or  advised  those  prt^sent  to.  stop 
this  qaackrry,  as  he  called  it,  and  for  this  purpose,  to  petition  the 
Legislature  to  make  a  Imw  that  should  make  it  penal  for  all  who 
should  practise  without  license  from  some  medinal  college  ;  to  de- 
bar thorn  of  Saw  to  collect  their  debts  ;  and  if  this  sbonld  not  an- 
swer, to  mnke  it  penal  by  fine  and  imprisonment. 

This  hint,  thun  given  by  the  Jodfre,  was  seized  npnn  first  in 
Massacha><ftt8;  from  thence  it  has  spread  kn  nearly  all  the  Slates 
in  the  Union.  Froin  this  source  may  be  traced  all  those  uncon- 
•titutional  laws  which  have  been  enacted  in  relation  to  this  sub- 
ject, and  all  tho<>e  vexatious  suits  which  I  have  had  to  attend  in 
many  of  the  Slates^,  from  Massachusetts  to  South  Carolina,  more 
or  less  aim'  s(  every  year  since.  But  I  have  been  able  to  break 
them  down  by  my  patent  being  from  higher  authority,  which 
Judge  Pfr!«on8  o<  n!d  not  prevent,  or  perhaps  he  never  thought  of. 
He  hajijftver  made  his  own  report,  and  handed  it  to  the  reporter. 


0/  Samuel  Tkonuan  "^ 

The  ch  ^^*  '^ 

the  8ubj5^  olSo^-^  consulted  with  my  frip„^ 

P»*a^e  ft;  Uid  Se?fcS  H'^^^^^^red  fifty    8«W  h.       **/! 

Wed  to  pJJve  on*^"**^  *»•**«  fair  cbi2^e«nit  *'**."'*' 

.  Pr"»%  tT^5hlJr««  thought  to  be  a  Lnrf  hi  ""^'"^ 

th^:  trouble'heli^CrmT  ^ ^^"^-^   Td' J^^ 
cution  was  ug.J^  „  ■**®  »«  and  my  friends      /       ^ 

county  of  ySt      r  f  "***'  *"*'  *<>  briL  th«  «oV  ^  P'"*^^' 


106 


^arraiwe  of  the  lAfe,  8fc. 


The  next  day  I  went  to  Salisbury,  and  stopped  with 
Mr.  Osgood,  where  I  was  first  arrested.  Mrs.  Osgood 
and  a  young,  woman  who  had  been  employed  by  me  as 
a  nurse,  assisted  to  clean  my  clothes',  and  clear  me  of 
some  troublesome  companions  I  had  brought  with  me 
from  the  prison;  and  when  I  had  paid  a  visit  to  all  my 
old  friends,  who  were  very  glad  to  see  me,  I  went  to 
Portsmouth,  to  recover  my  health,  which  was  very  much 
impaired,  by  being  confined  forty  days  in  those  filthy 
and  cold  prisons,  in  the  coldest  part  of  a  remarkably 
cold  winter.  My  friends  attended  upon  'me,  and  carried 
me  through  a  regular  course  of  medicine ;  but  the  first 
operation  of  it  had  little  effect,  in  consequence  of  my 
blood  being  so  much  chilled,  and  it  was  a  long  time  be- 
fore I  could  raise  a  perspiration  that  would  hold.  I  am 
confident  that  I  shculd  ilot  have  lived  through  the  win> 
ter  in  prison,  and  believe  that  this  was  their  plan;  for 
which  reason  they  managed  to  hava  me  indicted  for  mur- 
der; knowing  in  that  case  there  cdlild  be  ap  bail  taken, 
and  there  would  be  no  court  at« which  I  could  be  tried, 
for  nearly  a  year,  I  should  have  to^di^  in  prison  during 
that  time,  and  that  I  should  prob<l^ly  die  there ;  ort  in 
any  case,  they  would  get  rid*  of  me  for  one  year  at  least, 
whether  there  was  any  thing^  prove<£bAgainst  me  or  noi; 
and  in  that  time,  the  doctors  and  thw  ^pes  would  be 
enabled  to  run  down  the  credit  of  my  medicine,  and  put 
my  practice  into  disrepute  among  the  people;  but  I 
have  been  able,  by  good  fortune,  arid  the  kind  assistance 
of  my  friends,  to  defeat  all  their  plans.  Most  of  those 
that  have  been  instrumental  in  trying  to  destroy  me  and 
my  practice,  have  had  some  judgment  befdl;  uem  as  a 
reward  for  their  unjust  persecutions  fuid  tnalicious  con- 
duct towards  me.  I  was  credibly  informed  that  Dea- 
con t*ecker,  one  of  the  grand  jury  that  found  a  bill 
against  me,  went  with  Dr.  French,  to  hunt  up  evidence 
to  come  before  himself,  in  order  to  have  nie  indicted. 
A  short  time  after  I  was  put  in  prison,  he  had  a  stroke 
of  the  palsy,  and  has  remained  ever  since,jri822,]  one  . 
half  of  his  body  and  limbs  useless.  Dr.  French,  one 
year  j^e^  I  was  acquitted,  was  brought  to  the  same 
barylHwhich  I  was  placed,,  and  convicted  for  rob- 
binij^HjIave  yard  of  a  dead  body,  which  it  wlus  re- 


Of  Samuel  Ihonuon. 


t 
107 


ported  he  sold  for  lixt;^  dollars.    He  lost  all  bis  credit, 
and  was  obliged  to  quit  his  country.  * 

In  the  month  of  January  of  1810, 1  returned  home 
to  my  family,  and  staid  till  I  had  in  some  measure  re-  « 
covered  my  loss  of  health  by  imprisonment.  In  March 
I  returned  to  Portsmouth,  and  after  taking  the  advice 
of  my  friends,  made  arrangements  for  prosecuting  Dr. 
French.  The  prosecution  was  commenced,  and  he 
was  summoned  oefore  the  court  of  common  pleas,  in 
the  County  of  York.  Judge  Rice  undertook  the  prin- 
cipal management  of  the  business,  and  became  my  bail. 
Tne  action  was  called  and  carried  to  the  Supreme 
Court  by  demurer,  which  was  to  set  at  Alfred,  in  Oc- 
tober. I  attended  with  my  witnesses,  and  expected  to 
have  gone  to  trial;  and  after  waiting  several  days  to 
know  what  the  defence  was  going  to  be,  the  counsel  for 
the  defeiidant  made  their  plea  of  justification.  I  found 
that  their  plan  was  to  prove  that  I  had  murdered  sundry 
persons  whom  I  had  attended,  and  by  that  means  to 
make  it  out  that  any  one  had  a  right  to  call  me  a  mur- 
derer; and  that  for  this  purpose.  Dr.  French  had  been 
to  every  place  where  I  had  practised,  collecting  eyei^ 
case  of  tne  death  of  any  that  I  had  attended  in  thb 
part  of  the  country,  and  had  made  out  eight  cases,  all 
of  which  have  been  before  mentioned  in  this  narrative, 
most  of  whom  had  been  given  over  by  the  doctors,  as 

East  cure,  and  the  otheirs  known  to  be  desperate  cases. 
le  had  obtained  the  depositions  of  all  that  were  preju^ 
diced  against  me,  and  had  collected  a  mass  of  evidence 
to  support  his  defence.  After  finding  what  their  plan 
was,  it  was  thous ht  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  all  the 
places  where  theyliad  been,  and  get  evidence  to  contra- 
dict these  highly  colored  and  exaggerated  statements, 
and  I  was  uiraer  the  necessity  of  requesting  a  delay  of 
the  trial  for  one  week,  which  was  granted.  I  procejsded 
immediately,  and  took  the  depositions  of  those  who  were 
knowing  to  the  facts;  but  round  that  these  welb  -^ 
sufficient,  and  went  again  to  Deerfield,  and  summoned  Uro 

*  1  do  not  pr»t»nd  that  theie  things  Tollowed  on  account  or  their 
CNstment  to  me|  but  I  only  atat*  them  u  mattera  of  fiioM^forao  it 
li«pp«n«d. 


108 


Narrative  of  the  l^e,  Sfc, 


men  to  appear  at  court,  and  give  their  verbal  teatimony. 
When  1  had  got  ready  to  come  to  trial,  the  defendant 
was  not  ready,  and  got  it  put  off  to  the  ne]rt  term, 
>  which  would  be  holden  at  Ydrk  the  next  year.  In  the 
spring,  before  the  setting'  of  the  court,  I  went  to  the 
clerk°s  office  to  find  what  the  deposition!  were  that  were 
filed  against  me;  and  thet  whole  appeared  U>  be  a  aeries 
of  exaggerated  statements,  made  by  those  who  were  gov- 
erned by  their  prejudices,  without  having  but  very  little, 
if  any,  knowledge  of  the  facts,  more  than  what  they 
obtained  by  hearsay.  This  caused  me  to  redouble  my 
diliffence  to  get  witnesses  to  appear  on  the  stand  to  eon- 
tradict  their  testimony,  on  each  case  they  had  alleged 
against  me. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  the  trial,  every  thing  was 
prepared  on  my  part  to  have  a  fhir  hearing.  Judgt  Par- 
sons was  on  the  bench,  tmd  seemed,  as  I  thouffht,  to  be 
determined  to  have  the  case  go  against  me;  tor  be  ap- 
peared to  know  every  thing  that  was  to  be  hi  the  deftnce 
beforehand.  I  made  out  my  case  by  proving  the  words 
uttered  by  the  defendant,  which  were  in  my  dtolwation. 
They  then  proceeded  in  the  defence,  to  make  out  the 
eiffnt  cases  of  murder,  which  were  alleged  against  me. 
The  first  was  the  case  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hub- 
bard, of  Eliot,  who  had  been  dead  above  twoyean,  the 
aulars  of  which  I  have  before  stated.  The  witness 
ht  to  support  this  case,  told  a  very  lamentable  and 
r  i^olored  story;  and  I  brought  oh  the  stand  a  very 
respectable  witness,  who  completely  oontradioted  die 
whole  statement. 

Tlie  next  cases  brought  up,  were  the  three  children 

of  Mr.  Fulsom,  of  DeerfieM,  the  partioulari  of  which 

have  been  before  related.    A  number  of  depoiitions 

were  read,  which  the  defendant  had  obtained  of  those 

th«|.  had  been  my  enemies,  and  who  knew  nothing  of 

^||»\jBatter,  more  than  hearsay  reporta  among  thtm- 

flb^.    They  gave  a  very  highly  colored  aooomit  cf , 

^^  tjpiingnt  of  the  children;  so  much  so,  that  it  wcilkl ' 

auMDW  by  their  stories,  that  I  had  taken  them  in  health, 

a»l  M  roiuted  them  to  death;  never  saying  t  word 

abodHj^  fifteen  that  I  cured,  some  of  which  nad  bfen 

giveVHpr '  by  the.  doctors.    To  rebut  the  evidence 


Of  Samuel  TJioiuson, 


169 


itimoiiy. 
efendlint 
Rt  t«rm, 
In  the 
kt  to  the 
hat  were 
I  A  tenet 
fere  gov- 
wy  little, 
htt  they 
mble  my 
id  to  eon- 
1  alleged 

hing  WAt 
iidgePar- 
[ht,  to  be 
Br  be  ep- 
e  deftnoe 
the  wordt 
filtration, 
out  the 
aintt  me. 
of  Hub- 
eart,  the 
.  witnett 
;able  and 
id  a  very 
lioted  the 

ehildren 
>f  which 
kpotitiont 
of  thote 
thing  of 
them- 
ef 
lit  wotttd 
health, 
t  worn 
^tdbfen 
ividtnee 


that  was  produced  to  prove  that  I  had  killed  those 
children,  I  brought  on  to  the  stand,  two  respectable  wit- 
nesses, who  were  knowing  to  all  the  circumstances,  be- 
ing present  at  the  time  of  my  attending  the  family. 
They  gave  a  correct  and  particular  account  of  all  the* 
circumstances  as  they  took  place;  of  the  situation  of 
the  family  when  I  lirst  saw  them,  and  the  violence  of 
the  disor-der;  how  the  doctors  had  lost  all  their  patients 
that  had  been  attacked  with  the  disorder  before  1  came ; 
with  the '  number  that  I  cured  by  my  mode  of  practice ; 
and  that  the  doctors  afterwards  adopted  my  plan,  and 
saved  the  lives  of  a  number  by  it.  The  Judge  inter- 
rupted them  and  read  some  of  the  depositions  over  again ; 
but  these  witnesses  stated  that  they  were  not  true,  and 
went  on  to  give  some  of  the  particulars  of  the  opposi- 
tion I  met  with  in  my  practice  from  those  very  persons, 
whose  depositions  had  been  read,  when  the  Judge  seem- 
ed put  out,  and  attempted  to  stop  them,  saying  they  had 
said  enough.  They  said  that  having  sworn  to  tell  the 
whole  truth,  they  felt  it  their  duty  to  do  it. 

They  next  brought  on  the  case  of  a  woman  who  had 
died  at  Beverly,  that  i  had  attended,  and  with  it  the 
case  of  Bzra  Lovett,  whom  I  had  been  tried  for  mur'- 
dering.  I  was  very  glad  to  havp  this  case  brought  up 
again,  as  I  wished  to  have  an  opportunity  to  prove  all 
the  facts  relating  to  it,  which  I  had  been  prevented  from 
doing  on  my  trial,  jn  consequence  of  being  acquitted 
without  making  any  defence.  The  evidence  brougi|t 
forward  to  support  this  case,  were  the  depositions  of 
those  who  had  testified  against  me  on  my  trial  at  Saleih; 
they  were  pretty  near  the  same  as  then  given.  After 
those  depositions  .were  read,  J.  called  on  to  the  stand 
Elder  Williams  and  Mr.  Raymond,  who  gave  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  my  attending  upon  the  young  man,  as  has 
been  before  related,  M'hich  completely  contradicted  all 
the  depositions  they  had  read  in  the  case.  The  jfedge 
interrupted  these  witnesses,  and  read  the  deposilpin  "of 
the  girl,  who  stated  that  I  crowded  my  pukes  down  th» 
patient's  throat,  and  he  cried  murder  till  he  died.  They 
both  positively  testified,  that  there  was  not  a  word  of  it 
true;  for  when  he  died,  and  for  twelve  hours  before, 
he  wa3  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Howe,  during  which 
10 


no 


Narrative  of  the  lAfif  Sfc. 


l\^ 


time  I  did  not  see  him.  As  to  the  woman  in  Beverfy, 
whom  they  tried  to  make  out  that  I  murdered,  it  .was 
proved  by  these  witnesses,  that  she  was  in  a  dying  con- 
dition when  I  first  saw  her,  and  that  I  so  stated  it  ai  my 
opinion  at  the  time,  and  that  my  medicine  would  not  help 
her. 

The  next  case  was  that  of  Mrs.  Lifibrd,  who  died  at 
Salisbury,  the  particulars  of  which  have  been  before 
given.  The  evidence  brought  to  prove  this  case  of 
murder,  was  the  deposition  of  the  woman  who  nursed 
her,  and  by  whose  neglect  the  patient  took  cold,  ailer 
the  medicine  had  a  very  favorable  operation,  and  ap- 
pearances were  much  in  her  favor;  inconsequence  of 
which  she  had  a  relapse,  and  I  could  not  produce  any 
effect'  upon  her  by  the  medicine  afterwards.  Thin 
womair  confessed  at  the  time,  that  she  was  the  only  one 
to  blame,  and  that  no  fault  ought  to  be  attached  to  me ; 
but  she  afterwards  was  influenced  by  Dr.  French  to  turn 
against  me,  and  made  threats  that  she  would  swear  to 
any  thing  to  injure  me.  After  her  deposition  was  read, 
I  brought  witnesses  on  the  stand,  who  completely  con- 
tradicted every  thing  contained  in  it;  but  the  Judge  read 
her  deposition  to  the  jury,  and  directed  them  to  pay 
attention  to  that  in  preference  to  the  witnesses  on  the 
stand. 

The  eighth  and  last  case  was  that  of  the  son  of 
Thomas  Neal,  of  Portsmouth,  who  was  very  violently 
fttacked,  and  was  attended  by  Dr.  Cutter.  I  was  call- 
ed on  at  night  to  attend  him,  and  thought  there  was  a 
possibility  of  helping  him;  but  the  man  with  whom  he 
lived,  would  not  consent  that  I  shouM  do  any  thing  for 
him,  and  I  went  away,  after  telling  them  that  he  would 
be  either  worse  or  better  before  morning,  and  if  he 
was  worse  he  would  die.  I  was  called  to  visit  him  in 
the  morning,  and  was  informed  that  he  was  worse,  and 
thatlhis  master  had  consented  to  have  me  attend  upon 
'hJB||l|Pl  told  his  lather  it  was  undoubtedly  too  late;  but 
^  insisted  upon  it  so  much,  I  attended,  and  told  them 
the  chance  was  very  small  for  doing  him  any  good,  as  I 
considered  it  a  desperate  case.  Alter  being  very  hardly 
urged  by  his  friends,  I  gave  him  some  medicine,  but  it 
'  htid  no  effect,  and  about  sun-down  he  died.    The  luutor 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


in 


who  attended  him  was  brought  forward  to  prov^  that  I 
murdered  the  patient.  If  I  recollect  rigbt«y,  he  swore 
that  the  patient  had  the  dropsy  in  the  brain,  and  that 
the  disorder  had  turned,  and  he  was  in  a  fair  way  to  re-^ 
cover;  but  I  came  and  gave  him  my  poison  pukes,  and 
killed  him.  I  brought  ibrward  evidence  who  swore  to 
the  facts  as  I  have  above ,  related  them,  and  that  the 
doctor  would  give  no  encouragement  of  helping  the  pa- 
tient. The  father  of  the  young  man  gave  his  evidence, 
and  stated  that  the  son  was  in  a  dying  situation  when  I 
gave  him  medicine ;  but  the  Judge  interrupted  him,  and 
asked  if  he  was  a  doctor,  to  which  he  answered  no.  He 
then  said  the  doctor  has  stated  that  his  disorder  had 
turned,  and  he  was  getting  better;  are  you  going  to 
contradict  the  doctor?  and  thus  managed  to  do  away  his 
testimony. 

I  have  thus  given  a  brief  sketch  of  the  evidence  in 
the  eight  cases,-  which  were  attempted  to  be  proved  as 
murder,  in  order  to  make  out  justification  on  the  part 
of  the  defendant,  with  my  defence  to  the  same,  in  as 
correct  a  manner  as  I  am  able  from  memory;  and  am 
confident  that  every  circumstance  as  I  have  related  it, 
can  be  substantially  proved  by  living  witnesses.  After 
the  eviaence  was  gone  through,  the  lawyers  on  both 
sides  made  their  pleas,  making  the  case  on  my  part  as 

good  and  as  bad  as  they  conld.  The  Judge  then  gave 
is  charge  to  the  jury,  which  was  considered,  by  those 
who  heard  it,  to  be  the  most  prejudiced  and  partial  one 
that  had  ever  been  heard  before.  He  made  use  of  every 
means  to  raise  the  passions  of  the  jury,  and  turn  them 
against  me ;  stating  that  the  defendant  was  completely 
justified  in  calling  me  a  murderer;  for  if  I  was  not  guilty 
of  wilful  murder,  it  was  barbarous  ignorant  murder;  and 
he  even  abused  my  laVvyers  for  taking  up  for  me,  say- 
ing that  they  ought  to  be  paid  in  screw-augers  and  bull- 
dogs. The  people  that  were  present  were  very  much 
disgusted  at  his  conduct,  and  they  expressed  themselves 
very  freely  upon  the  subject.  It  was  said  by  some,  that 
our  courts,  instead  of  being  courts  of  justice,  had  be- 
come courts  of  prejudice.  One  man  said  that  he  hoped 
Judge  Par? ons  would  never  have  another  opportunity  to 
sit  on  a  cause;  which  prediction  turned  out  true,  for  he 


112 


^arraiive  of  the  Life,  8fc, 


soon  after  had  a  Ntroke  of  tho  palsy,  and  as  I  am  inform' 
ed,  died  before  the  next  court  met.  The  jury  brought 
in  their  vcrdiuf  of  justification  on  the  part  of  the  defend- 
ant, and  throwcd  the  whole  cost  on  me,  which  amounted" 
to  about  two  thousand  dollars.  ' 

When  I  ibund  how  the  case  was  going  to  turn,  I  went  to 
Portsmouth,  and  soon  after  made  arrangements  to  pay 
the  costs.  Judge  Rico  was  my  bail,  and  undertook  to  pay 
ali  the-  bills  that  I  had  not  paid  at  the  time.  On  my  set- 
tlement with  him,  lowed  him  six  hundred  dollars  for 
moaey  that  he  had  advanced  on  my  account;  for  which 
I  had  no  way  to  secure  him,  but  by  giving  him  a  mort- 
gage of  niy  furm;  which  I  did,  and  it  was  put  on  record, 
arid  never  known  to  any  of  my  friends  till  I  had  paid  it 
up.  lie  charged  nothing  for  all  his  time  and  trouble, 
through  the  whole  of  my  persecutions  and  trials,  for 
which,  and  for  his  kindness  and  friendship  on  all  occa- 
sions, I  shall  ever  consider  myself  under  the  greatest 
obligations. 

Some  time  in  tho  spring  of  the  year  previous  to  this 
trial  ,at  York,  a  young  nmn  canio  to  me  at  Portsmouth, 
by  the  name  of  Alfrisu  Carpenter,  from  the  town  where 
my  family  lived,  Ho  was  recommended  to  me  by  his; 
neighbors,  as  being  lame  and  j.oor,  and  wanted"  my  as- 
&istance.  I  took  him  out  of  pity,  and  instructed  him  in 
ray  mode-  of  practice,  under  ihe  expectation  that  it  would 
be  a  benefit  to  h'*),  and  thereby  he  would  be  able  to  as- 
sist me  in  attending  the  sick. 

About  the  first  of  Juno,  1811,  I  received  a  letter  from 
Eastport,  where  I  had  been  the  fall  before  and  shown 
some  of  my  mode  of  practice.  Some  of  the  people  in 
that  place  were  so  well  satisfied  with  it,  that  seven  men 
had  subscribed  their  names  to  the  letter,  requesting,  me 
to  come  there  and  practise  in  the  fevers,  which  prevail- 
ed in  those  parts^  I  led  the  care  of  my  business  at 
Portsmouth  with  Mr.  Carpenter,  -iny  apprentice,  and 
immediately  took  pnasnge  tor  Eastport,  where  I  arrived 
about  the  middle  of  Juno.  I  was  very  gladly  received 
by  those  who  had  wrote  to  itie,  and  by  those  with  whom 
I  had  become  acquainted  when  there  before.  I  agreed 
to  practise  under  tho  protection  of  those  who  had  sent 
for  me,  until  1  had  convinced  them  of  its  utility^  to 


Of  Samuel  Tlionuon. 


lis 


^1 


inforiB- 
brought 
defend- 
nouiited' 

■  went  to 
I  to  pay 
•k  to  pay 

my  set- 
lUavs  for 
or  which 

a  mort- 
n  record, 
\  paid  it 

trouble, 
rials,  for 

all  occa- 

greatest 

IS  to  this 
rtsmowtb, 
vn  where 
ne  by  his 
;d  my  as- 
d  him  in 
it  would 
lie  to  as- 


lice, 


which  they  consented,  and  promised  me  all  the  aMJfit- 
anco  ;n  their  power.  I  was  soon  called  on  to  practiio, 
and  had  all  the  most  desperate  cases  that  could  be  found, 
in  all  of  which  I  met  with  very  great  success.  The 
first  cases  I  attended  in  presence  of  the  committee, 
were  five  desperate  cases  of  consumption.  These  pa- 
tients were  all  relieved  in  three  weeks,  and  were  all  liv- 
ing this  present  year,  (1831. )•  While  attending  these 
people,  I  was  called  upon  to  attend  a  young  man  on 
board  a  vessel,  who  had  his  foot,  bruised  to  pieces  by  a 
block  falling  from  mast-head,  weighing  thirteen  pounds. 
It  being  done  five  days  before  I  saw  him,  it  was  mortic- 
ed, ana  the  whole  body  in  convulsions.  I  took  off  three 
toes  and  set  the  fourth,  and  cured  him  in  five  weeks 
with  the  usual  practice.  While  attending  him,  I  had  to 
pass  a  doctor's  shop.  A  scythe  was  thrown  at  me,  point 
first,  about  the  distance  of  two  rods.  ,  It  passed  between 
my  feet  without  doing  any  injury.  In  consequence  of 
this  assault,  I  sent  word  to  all  the  doctors  who  had  op- 
posed me,  that  f4)r  the  politeness  with  which  they  had 
treated  me,  I  would  compensate  them  by  taking  off  the 
burden  of  being  called  up  at  night,  and  thus  breaking 
their  rest,  and  would  give  them  the  chance  of  loying  in 
bed  until  noon,  without  being  disturbed  by  their  patients. 

I  was  called  on  the  night  following  to  attend  a  wonuui 
in  child-bed.  I  attended  according  to  my  promise,  on«1 
let  them  rest;  and  if  I  had  remained  there,  they  might 
have  rested  until  the  present  time,  as  I  attended  to  ull 
branches  in  practice. 

There  was,  I  think,  at  that  time,  five  practising  doc- 
tors on  the  Island,  among  whom  my  success  in  curing 
the  sick  caused  great  alarm;/  and  I  soon  experioncetl 
the  same  determined  opposition. from  them,  with  all  the 
arts  and  plans  to  destroy  me  and  my  practice,  that  I  hod 
experienced  from  the  same  class  of  men  in  other  places. 
In  order  to  show  some  of  their  conduct  towards  me,  I 
shall  relate  the  particulars  of  some  of  the  cases  I  attend- 
ed ;  but  most  of  the  numerous  cases  which  I  had  under 
my  care,  were  so  nearly  similar  to  those  that  have  been 
already  given,  and  my  mode  of  treating  them  being 
about  the  same,  that  it  wiir  be  unnecessary  to  repeat 
them. 

10* 


tl4 


A'art'fl/trc  of  the  Life,  ^'C. 


1  v.as  sent  for  to  visit  a  Mrs.  Lovctt,  who  was  tho 
daughter  uf  Mr.  Delisdcrnier,  at  whose  house  I  uttond- 
ed  her.  '  She  had  the  dropsy,  and  had  been  under  tho 
care  of  one  of  the  doctors,  t\\\  he  had  giyon  her  over 
as  incurable.  X  went  to  see  her  in  company  with  the 
doctor;  but  wo  cuuld  not  agree  as  to  tho  cause  and 
remedy.  I  asked  iiim  several  questions  concerning  tho 
power  of  the  elements,  and  th6  'effect  of  heat  on  tho 
human  system.  He  answered  that  the  elements  ha'd 
nothing  to  do  with  the  case.  After  giving  him  my  idOos» 
on  the  subject,  which  all  appeared  to  be  new  to  him,  I 
told  him  that  the  contending  powers  in  this  case  were  be- 
tween the  fire  and  water;  and  if  I  could  get  hent  enough 
in  the  body  to  make  the  water  volatile,  if  cculd  not  stay 
in  the  body.  He  said  that  any  thing  warm  would  not 
answer  for  her.  I  then  asked  him  how  he  thought  tho 
hottest  medicine  would  do.  He  said  it  wonld  produce 
immediate  death.  I  then  told  him  that  if  I  aid  any 
thing  tor  her,  1  should  administer  the  Ivoftest  medicine  i 
could  give.  Finding  there  would  be  a  lisadvantago  oii 
my  part  in  doing  any  thing  for  her,  as  the  doctor  and  I 
could  not  agree,  I  left  the  house.  1  was  followed  by  the 
father  and  mother  and  the  doctor,  who  all  insisted  on 
my  returniug;  but  I  told  them  that  nutwithstandhig  th«i 
doctor  had  given  her  over,  if  1  was  to  attend  her  and 
she  shouhl  die,  they  would  say  that  I  killed  her.  Tlii  y 
promised  that^  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might, 
no  blame  should  be  alleged  against  me.  Upon  which  I 
agreed  that  I  would  stop,  on  condition  that  two  of  my 
friends  should  be  present  as  witnesses  to  what  was  said, 
and^  see  the  first  process  of  the  medicine,  which  was 
agreed  to,  and  they  were  sent  for,  and  heard  tho  state- , 
ments  of  the  doctor  and  family:*  A  Capt.  Mitchell,  from 
New  York,  was  also  present,  and  heard  the  conversation 
between  me  and  the  doctor;  and  being  pleased  with  tho 
principles  that  I  laid  down,  which  excited  his  curiosity 
so  much  that  he  expressed  a  wish  to  be  present  and  see 
the  operation  of  the  medicine,  and  staid  accordi'.igly. 

The  doctor  pretended  to  be  going  away  till  at>cr  t 
had  given  the  first  medicine,  and  appeared  to  bo  very 
busy  going  out  and  coming  in,  and  had  much  conversa- 
tion with  Mrs.  Lovett,  the  husband's  mother,  Mho  was 


Of  Samttcl 


Tliomsan. 


115 


the  nurse.  After  the  finrt  medicine  had  done,  which 
operated  very  favorably,  I  gave  directions  what  ]to  do, 
and  particularly  to  keep  tnc  patient  in  perspiration 
during  the  night,  and  left  medicine  for  that  purpose;  we 
then  went  home.  In*  the  morning  I  called  to  see  her, 
and  to  my  surprise  found  her  sitting  with  the  mndow 
up,  and  exposed  to  the  air  as  much  as  possible;  on 
examination,  I  found  that  no  medicine  had  been  used. 
On  inquiry,  I  found  that  the  doctor  had  been  in  fre- 
quently to  see  h'?r;  and  on  asking  why  they  had  not 
followed  my  directions,  the  nurse  appeared  very  cross, 
and  said  she  would  not  take  any  of  my  medicine.  I 
told  them  that  they  had  not  killed  her,  but  I  did  not 
thank  them  for  their  good  will  any  more  than  if  they 
had  done  it.  I  was  about  leaving  the  house,  as  I  found 
my  directions  would  not  be  attended  to  by  the  nurse, 
but  Capt.  Mitchell  was  very  urgent  for  me  to  continue. 
I  told  him  that  if  he  would  attend  upon  her  nnd  see  the 
medicine  given  and  every  thing  done  according  to  my 
directions,  I  would  continue,  to  which  he  agreed,  m 
left  the  patient  in  his  care,  and  he  attended  her  faithful- 
ly through  the  day;  at  night  I  visited  her,  and  found  the 
swellini?  began  to  abate.  He  continued  his  care  of  her, 
and  in  three  days  she  was  able  to  go  up  and  down  stairs, 
and  in.  one  week  she  was  well.  By  the  influence  of 
the  doctor,  the  wofnan  and  the  husband  all  turned  agiiinst 
mo,  at\d  I  never  received  any  thing' for  my  trouble,  but 
their  abuse  and  slander.  The  woman's  father  and  Capt. 
Mitchell,  however,  gave  me  all  credit  for  the  cure,  and 
they  both  purchased  a  right. 

About  a  year  .after,  at  a  private  assembly  of  women, 
this31rs.  Lovett,  the  mother-in-law  of  the  sick  woman, 
gave  an  account  of  the  whole  transaction,  and  stated 
that  there  was  a  private  interview  between  her  and  the 
doctor,  and  it  was  agreed  to  go  contrary  to  my  direc- 
tions, and  the  doctor  said  she  would  die  in  the  course 
of  the  night;  and  that  he  .should  take  me  up  for  murder, 
and  that  she  must  be  an  evidence.  This  appeared  to 
be  almost  intredible,  that  they  should  be  so  void  of  all 
human  feelings,  as  to  be  willing  to  have  the  woman  die, 
in  order  to  have  the  opportunity  to  take  me  up  for  mur- 
der; but  two  women  who  were  present  when  she  told 


116 


Narrative  of  the  lA/e,  fyc. 


the  story,   gave  their  depoaHions  proving  the  facts  as 
above  stated. 

I  continued  my  practice  on  the  Island,  at  Lubec,  and 
on  the  main,  paying  my  most  particular  attention  to  those 
who  sent  for  me,  and  wantea  information.  I  practised 
under  their  inspection  about  five  weeks,  and  then  told 
them  that  I  hud  done  enough  Ult  a  trial,  to  prove  the 
use  of  the  medicine,  and  should  do  no  more  till  I  knew 
whether  a  society  could  be  formed.  They  expressed 
their  entire  satislaction,  and  wished  to  have  a  society 
formed;  a  meeting  was  called  HKft  that  purpose,  and  six- 
teen signed  the  articles  at  the  first  meeting.  After  this, 
a  meeting  was  held  every  week,  at  which  a  lecture  was 
given  for  the  purpose  of  giving  information,  and  for  the 
admission  of  members ;  and  eight  each  week  were  added 
during  the  summer.  In  the  fall,  I  went  back  to  Ports- 
mouth to  attend  to  my  business  there,  and  see  to  the 
society  which  had  been  formed  in  that  place. 

After  staying  in  Portsmouth  a  few  weeks  to  give  in- 
fomnation  to  the  people,  and  procuring  a  stock  of  mcdi- 
cme,  I  made  arrangements  to  return  to  Eastport;  and 
some^time  in  the  month,  of  October,  I  set  sail  for  that 
place,  taking  with  me  my  apprentice  and  Stephen  Sewell. 
On  my  arrival,  I  introduced  Mr.  Carpenter  as  my  ap- 
prentice, and  got^lr.  Sewell  into  a  school  as  an  assi^^t- 
unt;  in  which  he  hud  fifteen  dollars  a  month,  and  all  his 
leisure  time  he  attended  to  gain  information  of  the  prac- 
tice. I  took  a  small  shop,  and  put  into  it  a  good  assort- 
ment of  medicine,  and  attended  to  practice  till  I  had  got 
Mr.  Carpenter  introduced  among  the  people. 

While  practising  here,  I  frequently  heard  of  the  abuse 
and  «candal  towards  me  and  my  practice,  from  Mrs. 
Lovett,  the  old  woman  before  ttientioned,  as  the  nurse  of 
her  son's  wife,  whom  I  cured  of  the  dropsy.  This  old 
woman  was  a  singular  character,  and  was  called  a  witch 
by  the  people ;  J  have  no  faith  in  these  kind  of  things, 
yet  her  conduct,  and  certain  circumstances  that  took 
place,  were  very  extraordinary,  and  puzzled  and  aston- 
ished me  more  than  any  thing  I  had  ever  met  with, 
and  wiiich  I  have  never  been  able  to  account  for  to 
this  day.  Mr.  Carpenter  was  attending  a  man j  where 
this  woman  oden  visited,  who  had  the  consumption,  and 


Of  Ammitl  Tliomion. 


lit 


his  child,  which  was  sick  and  tmd  fits.  He  came  to  me 
and  said  that,  tlio  medicine  he  gave  iwould  not  hove  its 
usual  efTect;  tluU  the  emetic,  instead  of  cruising  them 
to  vomit,  would  make  them  cliokc  niid  uhnost  stotnglc. 
I  attended  thorn  myself,  "cindton  giving  the  medipine,  it 
would  operate  on  the  man,  and  not  oh  the  child' it  one 
time,  and  the  next  tUhne  on  the  child  and  not  on  him. 
Sometimes  the  child  would  lajr  in  tits,  fur  o  wholer  night, 
and  nothing  would  have  afly  ejtibct  upor  it;  in  the  movn- 
ing  it  would  come  out'  of'  them  and  appear  to  he  quite 
bright  and  lively.  I  had^.ever  kno^  the  medicine  to 
fail  of  ]>roducing  some  cllctt  before,  wiierc  the  patient 
was  not  so  fur  gone  as  not  to  have  life  enough  left  to 
build  upon.  I  can  give  no  reason  for  this  strange  cir- 
cumstance, i||itiHfactory  to  myself,  or  which  would  be 
thought  rpasonuble  by  the  readers.  The  old  woman, 
before  mentioned,  was  frequently  ig,  and  Out  of  the  house 
where  the  man  and  child  were,  imd  seemed  to  be  very 
much  interested  about  tmm;  wbe«  she  was  gone  the  ^ 
child-  would  frequently  go  into  violept  fits,  and  when  |t 
steamed  it,  it  was  said  the  old  woman  would  be  in  great 
distress.  It  caused  much  cnn^^dh^ation  rmong  the  neigh- 
bors; they  believed  it  to  bo  the  p<yer  of  witchcnift; 
and  that  the  old  woman  had  a  contrOT  over  the  destinies 
of  the  man  and  child,  and  wi\b  determined  to  destroy 
them,  in^dcr  to  get  her  revengi?  on  me.  I  have  nei  be- 
lief in  tli^se  thingii;  bvt  must  confess  that  her  strange 


# 


conduct,  and  the  extraordinary  circumstances  attending 
the  whole  affair,  baffled  me  more  than  any  thing  I  ha* 
ever  met  with  before.  I  was  unable  to  do  any  thing  for 
these  two  patients,  except  sometimes  by  a  temporary  re- 
li^.  They  contiuued  to  flM|?  worse,  and  finding  it  not 
rpny  poM^T  to  do  them  lUp^good,  I  left  them,  and  they 
both  soon  after  died. 

"Whether  the  extraordinary  circumatancd^^attending ' 
the  two  cases  above  stniod,  were  caused  by  4'^tratagem 
of  the  doctors,  in  which  the  old  woman  was  made  their 
agent,  to  injure  me  by  causing  in  some  way  or  other 
pqisonous  medicines  to  be  administered  to  them  in  order 
to  prevent  my^  medicine  from  having  any  salutary  effect, 
is  what  I  do  not  feel  disposed  to  assert  as  a  fact;  but  the 
many  cases  in  which  I  have  been  certain  that  such  things 


118 


J^arralive  of  the  Life,  Sfc. 


.  have  been  doiie  by  tnir  facility^  and  their  •enmity  and 
uniform  opposition jjio  my  practice,  both  at  this  place  and 
elsewhere^*  as  WjbU  as  the  confession  ma(Se  by  the  old 
woman,  would  tend  strQngly  to  confirm  such  a  belief. 
I  cou%mentioii  a  great. luidiber  of  facts  in  addition  to 
what  rhave,,  said  in  regard  to  ttiis  affair,  if  lecessary, 
which  appeared  very  cxtcaordinafy  to  me  and  all  who 
witnes^d  them;  but  I  think  that  enough  has  been  said 
on  the  subject,  and  shall  leave  it  to  the  public  to  decide 
between  us.  There  were  livCt^d^tors  at  Eaatport  when 
I  went  there,  wha  |iad  a  pteasily  of  business;  but  my 
success  was  so  great,  and  the  people  became  so  well 
satisfied  of  tUe  superiority  of  my  system  of  practice  over 
theirs,  that  they  were  soon  relieved  from  most  of  their 
labours;  and  in  a  short  time  after,  three  of  them  had  to 
leave  the  place  for  wau^  of  employment. 

I  made  arrangements  to  go  back  to  Port^outh  to 
spen4  the  winter,  adil  to  leave  Mr.  Carpenter  with  the 
care  df  my  businesMMIMcl  pracfltfb  at  Eastport,  under  the 

"^llptection  of  John  Burgin,  E^q.  a  man  who  has  been 
particularly  friendly  to  me  on  all  occasions.  I  told  him 
if  he  would  be  faithful  ii^jmy  business  and  in  selling  med- 
icine, that  he  shield  Tiiave  half  the  profits  after  the 
money  was  collects;  and  in  December  I  took  passage 
for  Portsmouth.  We  had  a  long  and  tedious  passage  of 
eighteen  days;  the  ves^l  took  fire  and  cur  ^jfes  were 
exposed;  but  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  epctinguish 
it  without  much  damage.  I  stopped  in  Portsnibuth  and 
poetised  some  time,  then  went  to  see  my  family,  where 
I  remained  the  rest'  of  the  winter,  in  which  time  f  was 
employed  in  collecting  and  preparing  medicine.  I  re- 
turned to  Portsmouth  in  tlie  spring  of  1812,  and  after 
making  the  necessary  arrangp^ents,  I  set  saij|,ibr  Eagp 
port,  where  I  arrived  about  the  first  ofMay.  *I  madeii 
settlement  with  Mr.  Burgin,  and  paid  nim  sixty-three  dol- 
lars for  tUfe  board  of  Mr.  Carpenter,  and  for  shop  rent. 
Then  fiirnished  the  shop  with  a  complete  stock  of  med- 
icine, to  which  I  added  cordials  and  spirits,  the  whole 
of  which  amounted  to  about  twelve  hundred  dollars. 
There  was  a  great  call  for  medicine  this  spring,  and  also 
foy  practice. 


•e. 


Of  Samuel  lliomson. 


119 


Afler  arranging  my  Ibui^ess,  I  conchided  to  return 
to  PortsmoutJI;  a  short  time  before  J^cufi^  ^^7)  ^  ^^' 
Whitney  came  to  me  lor  assistimce,  md  pulchased  a  . 
right.  About  the  same  time,  a  J^r.  McFadden  Applied 
also  for  assistance,  wb^''hld  the>«Nwi^nption.%|^  left 
th^m  both  under  the  Qoxe  of  Mr.  O^peP^l^and  imme- 
diately sailed  for  Po^tAnouth,  where  I  arrived  in^afety. 
Soon  after  my  atriv^rtKere,  I  (oxmA  there  was  ^ng  to 
be  a  war  with  Great  Britain:  in  consequence  of  which, 
I  returned  immediately  back  to  £a|^^rt  to  settle  my 
afTairs  m  that  place.  In  a  short  'W^  afle?  my  arrival 
there,  the  declaration  of  war  camion,  and  I  made  the 
best  arrangeio^nts  of  my  bjj^sinesS^I  could,  leaving  Mr. 
Carpenter  wmi  directions,  if  there  should  any  thing 
happen  in  consequence  of  the  war,  so  as  to  be  necessary 
for  him  |o  leave  the  Island,  t#  come  to  Portsmouth. 
Before  leaving  the  place,  I  called  oikbim  for  some  money, 
and  all  he  could  pay  me  was  sixt^foiif  dollars,  vhich 
was  but  one  dollar  more  than  I  had  paid  for  his  board , : 
and  shep  rent.  The  people  were  in  such  confusion  Jf 
was  impossible  to  ^et  a  settlement  with  any  one.  I  left 
Mr.  Whitney  and  Mr.  McFadd^  in  his  care,  and  left 
the  Island  about  the  middle  of  Jui^,  and  arrived  in 
Portsmouth  in  forty-eight  hours,  wheie  I  remained  the 
greater  imrt  of  the  summer;  during  which  time  I  had 
constant^Mpictice,  and  formed  s5me  regulations  for  the 
society,  wKich  was  established  there,  for  the  purpoVe  of 
greater  facility  in  communicating  information  of  my 
systeqi  of  practice  to  the  people  who  wished  my  assist- 
ance.* In  the  fall  of  this  year  I  published  my  pamphlet 
of  diredtions,  as  many  were  urgent  that  I  should  not 
leave  the  place  destitute*  ^10^  knowledge  of  my  prac- 
ttl||  and  medicine.  Mais^  ^persons  who  had  been  the 
most  urgent  for  me  to  give  them  information,  now  be- 
came the  most  backward,  and  complained  t^t  the  re- 
strictions were  too  hard  with  refard  to  their  giving 
the*  information  to  others;  some  of  whom  had  never 
done  the  least  thing  to  support  the  practice  or  me. 
When  any  of  them  were  sick  they  were  ready  enough 
to  call  on  me  for  assistance ;  and  if  I  relieved  them 
quick,  they  thought  it  worth  nothing,  and  they  run 
out    against   my   practice,  sa^'ing  I   deserved  no   pay. 


% 


# 


120 


J\rarralive  of  the  Life,  Sfc. 


This  sort  ©f^^treatment  I  Havd  met  with  from  a  cer- 
tain cJasS'*or''pjpople  in  all  places  where  I  have  practis- 
ed. I  i^as  treated  with  much  attention  when  they 
were  jn  clanger  from  sickness;  but  when  I  had  cured 
them^Jf.  was  tiiqughf  no  ihcrre  of.  This  kind  of  in- 
gratitude i^hgyire  experienced  a  pretty  large  share  of 
during  my  practice. 

In  Hie  month  of  October,  having  got  my  business  ar- 
ranged, and  a  stock  of  medicine  prepared,  I  returned  to 
Eastport.  On  my  arrival  there  I  went  to  my  shop,  and 
found  that  Mr.  Cudrpenter  had  gone  home,  and  Mr.  Mc- 
Fadden  and  a  Mr^-ljarvey,  left  very  sick,  and  only  a 
boy  to  take  care  oftfeem  and  the  shop.  Mr.  McFadden 
was  very  low  with  a  consumption,  and  unaBle  to  lay  down. 
I  found  there  was  no  regulation  of  the  business  in  the 
shop,  and  the  property  I  had,  chiefly  go^e.  I  was 
obliged  to, pay  every  attention  to  the  sick  men  that  had 
bee%  left  in  tli^B  lAanner  without  assistance ;  I  attended 
Mr.  Harvey,  and  got  him  wfell  efiough  to  go  home  in  a 
few  days;  and  Mr.  McFadden  was  so  put  to  it  for.  breath 
and  was  so  distressed,  that  I  had  it  be  with  him  night 
and  day  for  six  week*  and  three  days,  when  Mr.  Car- 
penter returned,  .^revfeus  tothis,  I  found  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Fadden had  -put  mB  farm  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Carpen- 
ter as  security  for  his  attending  him  in  his  sickness;  and 
as  he  had  no  relation^*  the  remainder  to  go  i§'  him  and 
me.  ,  On  inquiry  into  the  business  I  found  A|it  he  had 
taken  a  deed  in  liis  own  name  and  that  all  the  bills  and 
accounts  for  his  practice  aod  medicine  in  my  ^sence 
wore  in*  his  own  name.  I  asked  him  for  a  setllement 
and  he  refused;  I  then. asked  him  what  he  meant  by  his 
conduct;  he  said  he  owed  me  nothing,  and  bid  me  ^pfi"* 
ance,  saying  if  I  chose  I  mig^ttake  the  step§  of  ttfisjM^. 
I  could  not.  conceive  what  he  meant  by  treating  me^n 
this  nianj|e}',  till  after  making  further  inquiry,'  I  found 
that  he  had  formed  "a  connection  in  a  family;  that  he 
had  been  advised  to  take  the  course  he  did,  and  as  I  had 
no  receipt  for  the  projiferty,  or  any  written  agreement  to 
support  my  claim,  he  could  do  with  me  as  he  pleased, 
and  keep  every  thing  for  his  own  benefit.  The  night 
after  he  returned,  and  before  I  had  any  knowledge  of 
his  intentions,  he  had  robbed  the  shop  of  all  the   ac- 


% 


a  cer- 
practis- 
sn  they 
,d  cured 
d  of  in- 
share   of 

iness  ar- 
urned  to  * 
hop,  and 
Mr.  Me- 
ld only  a 
fcFadden 
lay  down. 
!8S  in  the 
5.     I   was 
tthat   had 
I  attended 
home  in  a 
for.  breath 
him  night 
Mr.  Car- 
tMr.  Mc- 
.  Carpen- 
ness;  and 
f^hini  and 
it  he  had 
bills  and 
ahsence 
letWement 
int  by  his 
me  dpfi- 

ing  me^n 

,'  I  found 

;  that   he 

i  as  I  had 

cement  to 

pleasefd, 

'ho   night 

Iwledge  of 

|l  the    ac- 


0/  Samnel  Thomnn. 


n\ 


*fi. 


ebttitlf,  notefj.  billt,  and  m  other  demms,  to  that  I   * 
knew  no  morrabout  the  bupliiess  tli|n  |  iirani[0r. 

I  firequentlv  tried  to  get  a  setflement  with  Civ||anter: 
but  he  aaid  he  had  none  td  mii:e  ipth  me.    Sic^  Me- 
Fadden  died  shortly  afl^ar,  and  Cai'penlei;^caine  forward 
and  claimed  all  hii  property,  saying  t^at  it  was  all  will- 
ed  to  him.    I  asked  him  why  it  shi^ijfitd  be  willed||»  bim, 
when  I  had  borne  the  expense  and  done  the  principal 
part  of  the  labor  in  taking  care  of  him  in  his  sickness. 
He  said  I  must  look  to  him  for  my  ^,    I  told  him  that 
it  was  very  lingular  that  my  apprentice  had  become  my' 
mai(ter  in  one  year;  he  denied  thi^  be  was  my  appn'en- 
tioe,  an4  •ai<l'  that  he  was  a  nartner;  but  I  had  said  in 
order  to  encourage  him  to  be  taithful  and  do  well  by  me, 
ha  should  have  half  the  profits  o||he  practice,  and  that 
I  had  no  idea  of  his  having  the  whole  of  my  property, 
because  I  made  him  this  promise.^  "^^^^  could  say  - 1 
found  would  have  no  effect,  for  the  more  I  tried  to  rea- 
son with  him,  the  qnore  obstinate  and  impudent  he  was. 
He  even  went  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  shop  and  all  that 
was  in  it  was  his,  and  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it; 
he  called  a  witness  and  forbid  a^.  having  any  concern  in 
the  shop.    I  found  there  was  no  otfa||r  wiyr  for  me,  but 
to  turn  him  out  and  get  rid  of  him  in  the^est  manner  I ' 
could;  ta  effect  which  I  applied  to  the  owner  of  the  shop 
and  ^ot  1  writing  to  prove  my  ^cTaim  to  the  possession, 
and  mimiaiately  took  measures  to  get  rid  of  him.    He 
made  all  the  opposition,  and  gave  me  all  the  trouble  he 
could^i  he  wont  into  the  shop  while  I  was  absent,  and 
began  to  throw  the  property  out  into  the«treet;  but  I 
soon  put  a  stop  to  his  career,  and  secured  the  property 
firttpithiB  reach.    He  still  held  all  my  books  and  accounts, 
iliich  put  my  business  into  such  confusion  that  I  was  un- 
able to  collect  any  of  the  demands  that  we|re  due;  and 
the  only  remedy  I  had  was  to  advertise  him  as  mf  ap- 
prentice, and  forbid  all  persons  having  any  dealings  with 
him  on  my  account,  or  settling  with  him.    My  loss  by 
the  dishonest  conduot  of  this  man  was  veiy  considerable, 
besides  the  injury  to  my' feelings  from  his  base  uigrati- 
tude  to  me;  for  I  had  taken  him  from  a  state  of  poverty 
and  distress;  supported  him  for  a  long  time  when  he  was 

of  very  little  benefit  tome;  and  had  instructed  him  in  my 
II 


Itt 


JVarraffve  of  (^  Uf%,  tfc. 


'^. 


■jBtem  of  practice,  and  given  him  all  the  information  ia 
my  power;  had  introduced  him  into  practice,  and  fiven 
him  every  encouragement  to.  enable  h\m  not  only  to 
assist  me  in  supporting  my  system  of  practice,  but  to 
benefit  himself;  and  atter  all  this,  for  him  to  turn  against 
me  and  treat  me  in  the  manner  he  did,  WM  a  deeper 
wound  to  my  feelings  than  the  loss  of  my  property. 

After  having  got  clear  of  Carpenter^  I  hired  a  young 
man  whom  I  had  cured  and  given  information  to,  and 
put  him  into  the  shop,  and  agreed  to  pay  his  board  for 
4Wie  year,  and  then  returned  to  Portsmouth.  As  Car- 
penter had  bid  me  defiance,  and  threatened  to  sell  my 
rights,  and  give  information  to  any  one  who  would'  buy 
of  him;  and  likewise  I  found  that  there  was  another 
plot  got  up  to  destroy  me ;  a  petition  had  been  sent  on 
to  the  Legislature,  to  h^ve  a  law  passed  against  quacke- 
ry, in  which  I  was^ named;  and  tnere  can  be  no  doubt 
but  that  the  whole  object  ol*  it  was  to  stop  my  prac- 
tice; I  was  at  a  stand,  and  put  to  much  perplexity  to' 
know  what  course  it  was  best  to  steer.  I  found  I  had 
enemies  on  every  hand,  and  was  in  danger  of  falling  by 
some  one  of  them.  £^ry  thing  seemed  to  conspire 
against  me;  but  I  had  some  friends  who  have  never  for- 
swen  me;  m||  coiirage  remained  good,  and  my  spirits 
were  never  depressed;  and  it  appeared  to  me  that  the 
more  troubles  I  had  to  encounter,  the  more  firnrfy  I  was 
fixed  in  my  determination  to  persevere  unto  the  last. 

When  I  had  maturely  considered  the  subject  in  all 
its  bearings,  and  exercised  sny  best  abilities  in  devising 
some  plan  by  which  I  could  extricate  myiilf  froiA  the 
dangers  which  threatened  me  on  every  hand ;  and  to 
prevent  those  rights,  which  twenty  years  labor,  with 
much  suflToring  and  great  expense  had  given  me  a  juH 
claim  to,  from  being  wrestea  from  me;  I  finally  came 
to  the-  conclusion  that  there  was  only  one  plan  for  mt 
to  pursue  with  any  chance  of  success ;  and  that  was 
to  go  oil  to  Washington,  and  obtain  a  patent  for  my 
discoveries;  and  put  myself  and  medicine  under  the 
protection  of  the  laws  of  my  country,  which  would  not' 
only  secure  to  me  the  exclusive  right  to  my  system  and 
medicine,  but  would  put  me  above  the  reach  of  the  laws 
of  any  state. 


*0»t. 


Of  Samuel  Thomson, 


12S 


After  coming  to  the  conclusion  to  go  on  to  the  seat 
of  government  and  appl^  for  a  patent,  made  all  necessa- 
ry preparation  for  the  journey,  and  started  from  Port»* 
mouth  on  the  7th  of  February,  and  arrived  at  Washing- 
ton on  the  23d.  The  next  day  after  my  arrival,  I  wait- 
ed*on  Capt.  Nicholas  Gilman,  of  Exeter,  showed  him  my 
credentials,  and  asked  his  advice,  what  I  must  do  to  ob- 
tain my  object.  He  said  that  he  thought  it  could  not  be 
made  explicit  enough  to  combine  the  system  and  prac- 
tice, without  being  too  long;  he  however  advised  me  td 
carry  my  petition  to  the  patent  office;  which  was>thea 
under  the  control  of  Mr. ,  Monroe,  Secretary  of  State. 
I  went  to  the  patent  office,  and  found^  that  Dr.  Thornton 
was  the  Clerk,  and  presented  him*  my  petition.  He 
asked  me  many  questions,  and  then  said  I  must  call 
again ;  I  called  again  the  next  day,  and  he  said  the  peti- 
tion was  not  right;  that  I.  must  specify  the  medicine, 
and  what  disorder  it  must  be  used  in ;  he  said  that  those 
medicines  in  general  terms  to  cure  every  thing,  was 
quackery ;  that  I  mxtat  particularly  designate  the  medi- 
cine, and  state  how  it  must  be  used;  and  m  what  disease. 
I  then  waited  on  Martin  Chittenden,  late  governor  of 
Vermont,  who  was  at  Washington,  and  asked  his  as- 
sistance ;  he  was  from  the  same  town  where  my  father 
lived,  and  readily  consented.  We  made  out  the  specifi- 
cations in  as  correct  a  manner  as  we  could,  and  the 
next  day  I  carried  them  to  the  patent  office,  and  gave 
them  to  Dr.  Thomtof;  he  complained  much  about  its 
being  too  short  a  system,  and  put  me  off  once  more.  I 
applied  again  and  asked  him  for  my  patent;  but  he 
said  I  had  not  got  the  botanic  names  for  the  articles, 
and  referred  me  to  Dr.  Mitchell,  of  New  York,  who 
was  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  1  applied  to  him, 
and  requested  him  to  give,  the  botanic  names  to  the 
articles  mentioned  in  my  petition.  He  wrote  them,  and 
I  carried  them  to  Dr.  Thornton ;  but  he  was  unable  to 
read  some  of  the  names,  one  in  particular;  he  said  I 
must  go,  again  to  Dr.  Mitchell,  and  get  him  to  give  it 
in  some  other  words,  and  not  tell  hiiiil  that  he  could  not 
read  it.  I  went,  and  the  doctor  wrote  the  same  word 
€gain,  am}  then  wrote,  or  ''Snap-dragon;"  which  I 
dnried  #D(.  'Thoriitoli,  and  reqi|ested  him  to  put.  in 


% 


134 


JVWrofife  of  <JU  Li/c,  9ft. 


t 


the  patent  my  names,  and  record  it  for  bbnielf,  nap- 
dragon,  or  any  other  name  he  chose.  ^He  then  tiUked 
about  sending  me  to  Philadelphia,  to  Dr.  Barton,  lo  get 
his  names.  #  t 

I  found  he  was  determined  to  give  me  all  the  Iroublt 
he  could,  and  if  pojMible  to  defeat  my  getting  a  patent, 
and  I  intimated  that  I  should  go  with  my  complaint  to 
Mr.  Monroe,  upon  which  he  seemed  a  little  more  dis- 
posed to  grant  my  request,  and  said  he  would  do  without 
Pr.  Barton's  names.  He  then  went  to  work  to  make 
Ihit  the  patent,  and  when  he  came  to  the  article  of 
mjrrrh,  he  found  much  fault  about  that,  and  said  it  wa» 
good  for  nothing.  I  told  him  that  I  paid  for  the  patent, 
and  if  it  was  sood  for  nothing  it  was  my  loss.  After 
much  trouble,  f  got  it  made  out  according  to  my  request, 
and  the  medicine  to  be  used  in  fevers,  colics,  dysen- 
teries and  rheumatisms;  he  then  asked  me  if  I  wanted 
any  additions,  and  I  told  him  to  add,  "the  three  first 
numbers  may  be  used  in  any  other  case  to  promote  per- 
spiration, or  as  an  emetic,"  which  he  did.  I  then  nad 
to  go  to  the  treasury  office  and  pay  my  money  and  bring 
him  duplicate  receipts.  After  all  this  trouble,  I  at  length 
succeeded  in  obtaining  my  patent  according  to  my 
request,  which  was  completed  and  delivered  to  me  on 
the  third  day  of  March,  1813. 

The  next  day  after  I  had  completed  my  business, 
was  the  day  of  inauguration  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States;  and  I  nad  the  cmriosity  to  stay  and  see 
the  ceremonies  on  that  occasion.  After  the  ceremo- 
nies were  over  I  went  to  the  stage  office  and  found 
that  the  seats  were  all  engaged  for  a  fortnight;  and  was 
obliged  to  stay  till  the  13th  before  I  could  git  a  passage. 
I  then  took  passage  in  the  stage  and  came  on  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  I  remained  several  days  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  Drs.  Rush  and  Barton,  to  confer  with  tnerik'^ 
upon  the  subject  of  introducing*  my  sister.  ^  of  jpractioe 
to  the  world.  I  spei^  considerable  time  with  Dr.  Bar- 
ton; but  Dr.  Riuh  wm  so  much  engaged,  ihat  4'  was 
I"  unable  to  have  \»t  little  conversation  more  thwi  atawiff  ' 
%^  business.  He  treated  me  with  much  politenessl^  and 
Mil  that  whatever  Dr.  Bcrton  fgreed  to,  he  wpuld  giVt 
nt,  so  tiial^y  busines^ii^  clite|y  i§^  the  «|l^ 


♦ 


Hiis  coi 


Of  Samml  7%om»on. 


195 


tar  gentleman.  I  asked  him  many  questions  concerning 
my  system  and  patent,  and  requested  his  advice  of  the 
best  niode  of  introducing  it.  He  advised  me  to  make 
friends  of  some  celebrated  doctors,  and  let  them  try  the 

aedicine,  and  give  the  public  such  recommendation  of  it 
f  they. should  deem  correct.  I  told  him  that  I  feared 
that  it  I  should  <|o  so,  they  Would  take  the  discovery  to 
themselves,  and  deprive  me  of.  all  credit  or  .benefit  nom 
my  labors,  and  asked  him  if  he  thought  that  would  not 
be  the  case.  He  said  it  miffht  with  some,  but  he  thought 
there  were  some  of  the  profession  honorable  enough  not 
to  do  it.  I  asked  him  if  he  would  make  a  trial  of  it  him- 
self, and  give  it  such  credit  as  he .  should  find  it  to  de- 
serve. He  said  that  if  I  would  trust  it  in  his  hands,  he 
should  be  pleased,  and  would  do  justice  to  me  and  the 
cause.  I  accordingly  left  some  of  the  medicine  with 
him,  with  directions  how  to  use  it;  but  before  I  received 
any  return  from  him,  he  died;  and  Dr.  Rush  also,  died 
some  time  previous ;  by  which  means  I  was  deprived  of 
the  influence  of  these  two  men,  which  I  was  confident 
would  otherwise  have  been  exerted  in  my  favor.' 

During  my  interviews  with  Dr.  Barton,  we  had  .much 
conversation  upon  the  subject  of  the  medical  skill,  and 
he  being  quite  sociable  and  pleasant,  I  expressed  myself 
very  freely  upon  the.  fashionable  mode  of  practice,  used 
by  the  physicians  of  the  present  day.  He  acknowledged 
there  was  no  art  or  science  so  uncultivated  as  that  of 
medicine.  I  stated  to^im  pretty  fully  my  opinion  of 
the  absurdity  of  bleediill^to  cure  disease;  and  pointed 
out  its  inconsistency,  inasmuch  as  the  same  method  was 
made  use  of  to  cure  a  sick  man  as  to  kill  a  well  beast. 
He  laughed  and  said  it  wi&s  strange  logic  enough. 

While  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  I  exammed  into 
their  mode  of  treating  the  yellow  fever;  and  found  to 
nay  astonishment  that  the  treatment  prescribed  by  Dr. 
Rush  was  to  bleed  twice  a  day  for  ten  days.  It  appear- 
ed to  me  very  extraordinary  to  bleed  twenty  times  to 
cure  the  most  fatal  disease  ever  known;  ana  am  confi- 
dent that  the  same  manner  of  treatment  would  kin  one 
half  of  those  in  health.  This  absurd  practice  being 
fi>Uowed  by  the  more  igno^pant  class  of  the  focidty, 


.  -* 


4-, 


m 


J^thrrative  of  the  Life,  i^e. 

ly  becauM  it  hu  been  recommended  in  some  particular 
caies  by  a  great  man,  haa,  I  have  not  the  least  doubt, 
destroyed  more  lives  than  has  ever  been  killed  bypowder 
and  ball  in  this  country  in  the  same  time.  Those  I 
1^ .  met  in  the  streets^  who  had  escaped  the  fatal  effect  of 

IIP*  bleeding,  mercury,  and  other  poisons,  carried  death  in 

their  countenance;  and  on  conversing  with  them,  they 
said  they  had  never  been  well  since  tney  had  the  fever; 
that  they  took  so  much ,  mercury  and  opium,  they  were 
afraid  that  the^  were  in  a  dedine. 

After  remaining  in  Philldelphm  about  two  weeks,  I 
went  in  the  stage  to  New  Tdrk,  where  I  obtained  a  pas- 
sage in  a  coaster,  and  arrived  in  Portsmouth  on  the  dth 
day  of  April.  Immediately  after  my  arrival  at  Ports- 
mouth, .  I  gave  public  notice  in  the  newspapers,  of  my 
having  obtained  a  patent,  and  forbid  all  persons  tres- 
passing upon  it  under  the  penalty  of  the  law  m  such 
cases  provided;  and  prepared  and  published  a  handbill, 
in  which  I  ^ave  a  description  of  the  nature  of  disease 
en  the  constitution  of  man;  and  also  the  conditions  of 
disposing  of  the  right  of  using  my  system  of  practice; 
ana  taking  a  number  of  the  handbills  with  me,  sat  out 
for  Eastport,  where  I  arrived  about  the  first  of  May. 
On  my  arrival^  the  handbills  were  circulated  among  the 
|»eople,  which  caused  considerable  stir  among  them,  par- 
ticularly with  the  doctors,  who  seemed  surprised  that  1 
had  obtained  a  patent.  I  again  called  on  Mr.  Carpenter 
for  a  settlement;  but  could  obtiuK  none,  for  his  friends 
tdvised  against  it,  telling  him  flit  he  could  still  pursue 
the  practice  in  spite  of  my  patent,  by  calling  the  medicine 
Vy  different  names.  I  furnished  my  shop  with  a  stock  of 
medicine,  and  made  an  agreement  with  Mr.  Mowe,  the 
young  man  whom  I  had  employed  since  Carpenter  was  dis- 
iussed,  to  continue  the  practice  for  me,  and  take  charge 
of  my  businefs  at  this  place.  My  expenses  for  his  wages, 
board  and  shop  rent,  were  about  one  dollar  per  day;  and 
the  amount  or  the  practice  and  sale  of  medicine,  was 
about  one  hundred  dollars  per  month. 

While  at  Eastport,  I  met  with  a  loss,  which  I  will 
■MBtion,  to  show  the  hard  fortune  I  had  to  contend  with. 
Wiphing  to  send  one  hundred  dollars  to  my  fi-iend  Judge 


Of  Samuel  Utomtim, 


Iff 


Rice,  in  part  payment  for  what  I  owed  him,  took  two' 
fifty  dollar  bills,  and  went  to  the.  post-office  and  gave  thtm 
to  the  post  master,  with  a  letter  directed  to  Alexander 
Rice,  Esq.  Portsmouth,  requesting  him  to  secure  them 
in  the  letter  in  a  proper  manner,  and  send  it  on.  The 
letter  was  never  received  in  Portsmouth,  and  no  traces 
of  it  could  be  found.  I  had  strons  suspicions  that  the 
post  master  at  Eastport  destroyed  the  letter  and  kept 
the  money.  I  made  arrangements  to  inquire  further 
into  his  conduct,  but  shortly  after  he  fell  from  a  preci- 
pice and  was  killed,  whic&  put  a  stop  to  pursuing  the 
subject  any  further;  so  it  turned  out  a  total  loss  to  me. 

After  settling  my  business  in  Eastport,  I  returned  to 
Portsmouth,  where  I  stopped  but  a  short  time;  and  tak- 
ing Mr.  •  Sewell  with  me,  went  to  Portland,  to  introduce 
my  practice  in  that  place.  On  our  arrival,  I  advertised 
my  patent  in  the  newspapers,  and  had  handbills  printed 
and  circulated  among  the  people,  giving  the  conditiMii 
on  which  I  should  practise,  and  the  manner  of  selling 
family  rights,  to  -those  who  wished  the  use  of  my  prac- 
tice and  medicine;  and  that  I  should  attend  to  no  case 
except'  such  as  wished  to  purchase  the  rishts,  to  ffive 
them  information,  and  prove  the  utility  of  the  medicme.' 
I  gave  the  information  to  Mr.  Fickett,  where  we  board- 
ed, and  a  right  of  using  the  medicine  for  himself  and 
family;  and  gave  information  to  several  of  his  workmen. 
Soon  after  making  myself  known,  I  had  a  great  number 
of  desperate  cases  put  under  my  charge,  all  of  which 
were  cured,  or  essentially  relieved.  My  success  in  the 
cases  I  attended,  most  of  which  were  such  as  had  been 
given  over  by  the  doctors,  caused  great  alarm  among 
those  professiocal  gentlemen  who  are  styled  regular  phy- 
sicians ;  and  I  experienced  the  same  opposition  from  tnem 
that  I  had  met  with  in  other  places.  I  was  followed  by 
them,  or  their  spies,  and  all  kinds  of  false  and  ridiculous 
reports  were  circulated  among  the  people  to  frighten  and 
prejudice  them  against  me  and  my  medicine. 

Soon  after  coming  to  this  place,  I  waii  called  on  by 
Capt.  John  Alden,  to  attend  his  wife,  who  was  in  a  very 
alarming  situation.  Shq  was  in  a  state  of  pregnancy, 
and  had  the  dropsy,  and  was  then,  as  she  supposed, 
several  weeks  over  herlime.    She  had  been  iii  the  same 


.t 


1S8 


JNhmUite  of  the  lAftt  Sfe. 


situation  ooce  before,  and  was  delivered  by  force,  and 
came  very  near  losinff  her  life ;  the  doctorv  gave  it  ai 
their  opinion,  that  if  she  should  ever  be  so  again,  she 
would  certainly  die.  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  attend 
on  any  except  those  who  wished  to  purchase  the  right, 
in  which  cases  I  would  give  them  the  information.  I 
explained  to  him  the  principles  upon  whi^h  my  nyitem 
was  founded,  and  he  purchased  a  right;  after  which,  I 
attended  upon  his  wife,  and  found  her  very  low ;  she 
had  not  lam  in  bed  for  diree  weeks,  being  so  put  to  it 
for  breath  when  she  lay  down,  was  obliged  to  jt,et  im- 
mediately up  again.  I  carried  her  through  a  course  of 
the  medicine  three  times  in  five  days,  durmg  which  she 
was  reduced  in  size  about  eight  inches;  her  travail  then 
came  on  natural,  and  in  about  two  hours  she  was  deliv- 
ered of  a  daughter,  and  they  both  did  well.  She  was 
able  to  come  down  stairs  in  one  week,  and  in  twoi^eeka 
was  well  enough  to  be  about  the  house.  This  cure  so 
altfrmed  the  doctors,  that  they  ci.culated  a  story  at  a 
distance,  where  the  facts  were  not  known,  (hat  I  was 
so  ignorant  of  this  woman's  situation,  that  I  killed  her 
immediately ;  but  the  woman  and  her  husband  gave  me 
all  credit  for  the  cure,  and  appeared  very  gfatetul  (o  me 
for  it. 

During  the  summer,  a  son  of  Capt.  Aldeil  was  vio- 
lently seized  with  thcj  spotted  fever;  he  was  taken  very 
suddenly,  when  at  the  pump  after  water,  fell  and  .was 
brought  into  the  house  senseless.  I  attended  him,  and 
his  jaws  being  set,  administered  a  strong  solution  of 
.  Nos.  1,  2,  and  6,  by  putting  my  finger  between  his  cheek 
and  teeth,  and  pouring  in  the  medicine ;  squeezing  it 
round  to  the  back  of  his  teeth,  and  as  soon  as  it  reached 
the  roots  of  liis  tongue,,  his  jaws  came  open;  I  then 
poured  down  more  of  the  medicine,  and  soon  after 
swallowing  it,  his  senses  came  to  him,  and  he  spoke; 
he  appeared  like  a  person  waking  out  of  a  sleep.  As 
soon  as  the  warm  effect  of  the  medicine  was  over,  he 
relapsed,  and  life  seemed  to  go  down  with  the  heat.  I. 
found  that  I  could  not  restore  him  till  I  could  rarify  or 
lighten  the  air;  I  laid  him  across  the  laps  of  three  per- 
sons, shielding  him  from  external  air  with  a  blanket,  and 
put  under  him  a  pan  with  a  hot  atone  in  it  about  half  im- 


Of  Satmd  Tbomwm. 


vf*;. 


119 


mened  in  hot  water;  while  over  this  steam,  agaip  g«:re 
the  medicine,  whieh  raised  a  perspiration;  and  as  ^ 
heat  raised  inside,  life  |;ained  in  proportion;  and  when 
the  perspiration  had  gained,  so  as  to  be  equal  to  a 
state  of  health,  the  natural  vigor  of  life  and  action  was 
restored,  * 

I  was  called  on  to  attend  a  woman  who  had  a  relax, 
and  in  a  few  visits  restored  her  to  health.  One  night 
about  midnight  I  was  sent  for  to  visit  this  woman  in  con- 
sequence of  their  being  alarmed  about  her,  the  cause  of 
which  I  could  never  learn;  for  on  my  arrival  she  was  as 
well  as  usual.  I  returned  immediately  home  and' was 
soon  after  taken  in  a  violent  manner  with  the  same  dis- 
ease ;  and  was  so  bad  as  not  to  be  able  to  do  any  thing 
for  myself.  Mr.  SeweQ  attended  upon  me,  and  did  ul 
he  coulil,  which  had  <no  effect.  I  was  persuaded  that  I 
should  not  live  three  days  unless  I  coula  get  some  relief. 
I  had  no  pain  and  every  thing  I  took  passed  through  me 
in  two  minutes;  nothing  jieemed  to  warm  me.  1  sent 
and  obtained  some  butternut  bark,  boiled  it,  and  took 
some  as  strong  as  it  could  be  made ;  as  soon  as  it  began 
to  operate,  I  follom^ed  it  with  brandy  and  loaf  sugar  burnt 
togethiM^  tm  it  became  a  syrup;  this  soon  put  me  in  pain; 
I  then  foUat'f'ed  nnr  general  rule  of  treatment,  and  was 
soon  relieved.      * 

While  at  Portland,  I  was  sent  for  to  see  a  Mr.  Mason, 
who  was  very  sick,  and  it  was  expected  that  he  would 
not  live  through  the  -night.  He  had  been  attended  by 
the  doctors  of  the  town,  for  a  sore  on  his  nose,  which 
was  much  inflamed ;  they  had  given  him  so  much  salt- 
petre to  kill  the  Jlieat  that  they  almost  killed  him.  I 
had  the  hardest  trial  to  save  his  life  of  any  one  I  ever 
attended;  and  was-  obliged  to  carry  him  through  a 
course  of  medicine  two  or  three  times  a  week  for  three 
months,  besides  visiting  him  every  day.  The  doctors 
said  he  would  certamly  die,  and  if  he  did,  they  meant 
to  take  me  up  for  murder;  and  every  means  were  re- 
sorted to,  by  discouraging  him  and  other  ways,  to  pre- 
vent his  getting  well;  and  when  he  got  so  as  to  be  about, 
and  it  was  decided  that  he  was  going  to  recover  under 
the  operation  of  the  medicine,  one  who  pretended  -to  be 
his  friend  gave  him  a  bottle  of  pepper  vinegar.    I  had 


lil  31^  JVbfTflrfiM  •/  ike  Ufe,  Sfe. 


iikade  a  free  use  of  this  article  in  hia  case,  and  he  took 
iome  of  what  waa  given  him  b^  thia  friend,  and  he  soon 
-  grew  worse.  The  man  who  save  him  the  pepper  vine- 
gar often  inquired  how  he  did,  and  when  tola  that  he 
was  worse,  he  would  say  that  I  should  kiU  hiln.  I  could 
not  ascertain  the  reason  of  this  patient  bding  lifibcted  in 
the  m&nner  he  was,  till  Mr.  Sewell  took  some  of  the 
same,  and  was  immediately  taken  in  the  same*  manner 
aa  the  sick  man.  He  took  medicine  and  got  over  it, 
and,  in  a  short  time  after,  took  some  more,  and  was  at- 
tacked in  a  similar  manner.  I  then  began  to  mistrust 
that  there  was  somethhig  in  the  pepper  vmegar,  and  on 
examining  it,  waa  satisfied  that  it  bad  been  poisoned  to 
destroy  the  patient,  in  ordef  to  take  advantage  of  me.  I 
was  obliged  to  carry  them  bofli  thvough  a  course  of  the 
medicine,  and  they  aflerwarda  had  Ho  such  turittr 

This  patient,  tifler  about  three  months'  close  mention, 
gained  so  as  to  enjoy  a  comfortable  state  of  health.  The 
undertaking  was  very  tediolls  on  my  part ;  I  should  be 
hardly  willing  to  go  through  the  same  process  again,  for 
any  sum  whatever.  The  destructive  effects  of  ullt-petre 
is  the  worst  of  any  poison  I  ever  undertook  to  clear  the 
system  of.  The  only  method  I  have  found  succiisful,  is 
to  give  No.  I  and  No.  2,  and  throw  allo^  it.  out  of  the 
stomach  that  can  possibly  be  done;  and  by  steaming 
keep  the  heat  of  the  body  above  it;  all  other  poisons  can 
be  eradicated  by  the  common  course  of  medicine.  I 
was  called  on  to  attend  the  sick  from  all  quarters;  but 
few  of  them  were  able  to  purchase  the  information,  and 
many  who  had  it  have  never  paid  any  thing.  The  peo- 
ple generally  were  well  satisfied  w«th  its  utility;  my 
friends  were  very  zealous  in  introducing  it  among  the 
people ;  but  my  opponents  were  not  slack  in  doing  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  pi'ejudice  the  public  against  me 
and  the  medicine.  The  doctors  seemed  much  troubled 
at  the  success  of  the  practice,  many  having  been  tured 
who  were  given  over  by  them.  One  woman,  who  had 
been  unable  to  walk  for  about  nine  months,  after  having' 
been  confined,  and  the  doctors  could  not  help  her,  was 
attended  by  Mr.  Sewell,  and  in  a  short  time  restored  to 
a  comfort&ble  state  of  health,  which  ^ave  them  great  o^ 
fence;  and  some  of  them  published  m  the  newspapers, 


i 


(y  SMMHUnMHM.  .     • 


*> 


Murt  of  B|f  tritl  for  tnnti»r,  in  6rder  to  prejudice  the  pub- 
uo  agmiiMl  m^.  I  prepacad  an  eiftwer,  but  they  lied  lb 
much  influence  with' the  .prihters,  thjtt  I  was  unlble  to 
get  it  ipierted;  they  had  the  meannesa  to  ciiculate  the 
report  that  1  aoknowladged  the  fact,  because  I  did  not 
answer  their  atatement.  Thus  have  the  faculty,  by  euoh 
unprincipled  conduct,  managed  to  keep  tlto  people  blind* '^ 

•to  the  benfflt  they  might  receive  from^the  use  of  the 
medicin^  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up  their  own  ofiaflit 
and  making  them  tributary  to  themselves,  Without  tmgfurd' 
t9  the  public  good. 

.  This  season  I  went  to  Eastport,  and  collected  lome 
money  to  ^pay  my  friend  Rice;   and  thinking  to  mi^ke  • 
some  profil,  liid  it  out  in  fish,  and  sent  it  to,  Portland, 
consifllif lA*  Xfi  my  firiead  Fickett.     When  I  went  there 
myserfr  aokl  the  fishto  him. .  I  afterwards  mad^^settle-. 

•  mdntliwIMl  nim,  and  to6k  his  noteVor  one  hundred  aud 
aixty-thfee  dollars,  which  he  ng^ed  to  pay  Judge  Rice;  ' 
as  he  ^aa  going  to  ^oiton  ip  a  short  time,  andmjhe' would 
call  on  |li^  at  Portsmouth  for  tlat  purpose.  I  then  went 
homer  to  pfe  my  family,  and  in  about  mx.  months  alter, 
returno(|^|p«  Portsmouth,  and  on  QallinFon  Judge  Rice, 
found  tMfQjisurprisI  that  Mr.  Fick<ltt  nad  not  paid  the 
money,  iKqyjie  had  failed,  and -there  was  no  chance  for 
me  to  get  aa|r  thing  of  him.  {^o  I  was  again  disappoint"^ 
ed  in  my  expectations  of  paying  this  demand,  and  it  ap- 
peared to  ma  that  all  my  hard  earnings  .would  be  sacri- 
ficed to  pay  the  expenslifOf  persecutions;  but  my  friend 
Rice  was  veiy  indulgent;  and  instead  of  complaining, 
did  all  he  could  to  encourage  me  apd  keep  up  my  spirits. 
In  the  fall  of  the^year  1813,  I  started  from  Portland 
to  go  to  Eastport,  and  took  Mr.  Sewell  wi>th  me,  in  order 
to  try  to  get  a  settlement  with  Mr.  Carpenter,  as  he 
kitt*fr  all  the  particulars  of  the  agreement  between  KHs. 
After'  suffering  many  hardships,  and  being  at  great  ex- 
pense, iigliBonsequence  of  having^to  go  P^i^  ^f  ^^^  ^^ 
by  water,  and  part  by*  land,  owing  tQthe  war  that  then 
existed,  we  arrived  there  on  the  12th  day  of  November.. 
On  my  jirrival,  I  mado  inquiry  oonceVning  my  affair  with 
Caifei^ar,  and  ascertained  what  proof  I  could  obtain  to 
support  an  il}tio#|tga|bst  him  for  the  pr^erty  he  had 
wronged  me  oulof)  and  afleii^iaking  an  unsuccessful 


f 


4k  .  ^  f  ■ 


■m 


f 


;     #  *        .  ^  '  .  *-       ^       .    *,  # 

.itten^to  9^  mj  aoeouiit  %o(ak»  out  oT  hi»  h»ndt, 
f  fii^ugin  Sf  actioB  qi^^fiitiiiill  ibr  liM  propevt^  left  In  hu 
Jkwseiiliola;  this  bimg  the  oaljr  W^y  >n^l^icl^  I  could 
'  bisag  him  to  in  aceoiint.    A(Wr  mucn  timepod  ez^nse, 
I  at  Ubt  obtained  a  judgment  <«§ain8t  him,  got  out  an  ex- 
eeti^il,  which  was  tevie^^n  the  land  he  had  lii|)U8tly  , 
got  a  deed  of/ and  it  wii  tilp|Jhr  apfMraised  to  jneV 
aft^>avteg  t^  get  a  writ  of  ^i^c^eot  td  ge#(r.  little 
oi||^ll[y^«i|lBes8toit  of  U,  who  claimed  it  undir  a  pivleii&ded 
IGkie^Si^  Carpenti^  to  prevent  it  froa|^eiBjS  attached, 
I  at  last  got  the  farm,  which  had  cost  in/tetting  it  more 
iban  it  was  worth;  4o  I  had  to  put  ufi  with  the  loss  of  all 
%inykearningi%ai£j|stpart  for  two  years,  with  the  loss  of 
medicine  «old  byCarpeiater,  all  of  whioH  amounted  tol 
not  leoyhan  fifteen  hundlred  dollars.  '    «**<'^  * 

I  repnied  to  Portlapd,  Whore  I  rtmained  |^  aittend  |o^ 
mjr  practice  and  the  soci^y  that  Ihad  been  formed  tiere, 
'foi^  considerable  time }  a^d  after  settling  and  aivangiog 
my  bulin^lrs  as  well  as  f  c^ulpli  left  Afr.  Sewell  itt^f^iarge 
of  iy|  my  affairs  there,  and  in  January,  18H>  t^ti^n^ed  to 
Fonmnoiith,  wh|y|^  place  I  made  the  principi^,^d|{k)t  of 
my.  medicines;  na\^g  previous  tojgpy  ret^hwig  from 
the  Eastward,  nwde  ilrraneements  wtth  my  agepitlftoftup- 
dIv  them,  and  all  others  wno  had  purchase^tKi^ rights, 
with  such  medicine  as  thf y  might  want,  b^their  apply- 
ing to  me  for  them.  I  had  laid  in  a  large  stock,  the 
vtdue  of  which  I  estimated  to  be  about  one  thousand 
dollars.  I  went  to  Boston  and  ITalem  to  procure  some 
articles  that  could  not  be  obtained  elsewhere,  in  order 
complete  my  stock;^  when  absent,  the  great  fire  took 
plaee  at  Portsmouth,  and  all  my  stoG)|.  of  medicine  was 
consumed.  T^  was  a  very  serious  loss  to  me,  not  only 
in  a  pecuniary  pibint  of  view,  but  it  disarranged  all  my 

EnSj^and  put  it  out  of  my  power  to  supply  those  wl!i<£»I 
3W  depended  upon  me  for  all  such  articlesL  aii  were 
st  important  in  the  Mractice.  The  season  wib  so  far 
advanced  that  it  wat  impossible  to  obtain  a  new  recruit 
«f  most  of  the  art^les;  and  I  was  obliged  to  collect  a 
part  of  what  had  been  smtt  to  dififerent  places,  in  order 
to  be  able  to  supply,  Jun  the  bei|  m,ai|ner  I  cod4>  Jhch 
demands  for  ijledictne,  as  I  shoiAl  lM»'%alldll  on  for.  In 
doing  this,  I"  was  |Mit  to  gireat  trouble  aid  expense,  and 


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ll  ofd»  to  miJce  myte^  wbole,  was  ttuder  the  n«ces«ty 
of  raifliog  t^e  price  of  the  mediciQe  fifty  per  cent. ;  tftip 
caused  much  griunblipg  and  complakrt  from  theinembers 
ef  the  fiipcietiea  in  ^hffereot  places,  and  wfp  taken  advaifc^ 
tage  of  by  my  enemies  to  injure  me  all  they  could. 

I  sent  ia^the  estimate  of  my  loss,  by  the  cctpwmittee, 
who  had  the  charge  of  the  money  cotUij^buted  by  th# 
people  in  different  parts,  for  the  relief  of  the  safierers  by 
the  firo,  and  afterwards  called  on  them,  tnth  an  ei^cta- 
tioil  of  receiving  my  share;  but  thej^  said  my  loss  wM  of 
such  a  nature  uat  they  could  not  giye  mf  any  thipig,  as 
I  should*  be  aUe  to  collect  aaotherr  supply  the  ne^t  sjBar 
son,  and  I  never  received  a  c0iit jfrom  them.  In  additioi)^^ 
to  my  loss  by  the  fire,  and  otE^r  difficultiei  I  had  to.  en-' 
cows^er,  imd, while  I  was  at  J^ortsmouth  using  all  my  ex- 
eraoQ$  to  replenish  my  stoc^  of  medicine,  s»id  assist 
Iboie  who  were  suffering  fVo^  disease  and  needed  the 
benefit  of  my  .practice,  I  received  information  from  Port- 
land, |hat  the  doctors  had  obti^med  one  of  my  hooks  of 
direetioi^  which  was  publllhid  expressly  for  {he  informa- 
tion (HT^^ose' who  purchased  the  rigl^  of  using  mi  lys- 
tsm  i^:  practice,  and  had  some  koolffbidge  of  it  by  ver- 
bal and  other  imrtruction,  had  {H^ted  an  edition  of  it, 
nA  advertised  them  for  sale  At  37  f-2  cents  j|  copy. 
They  itateid  in  their  advertisements,  that  *'  this  invalip- 
hie  work,  which  had  heretofore  been  selling  for  twenty 
dollars,  may  now  be  had  for  thirty-seven  and  a  haU* 
cents;"  and  sent  them  to  all  places  where  my  societies 
had  been  formed,  and  my  practice  had  been  introduced, 
for  the  purpose  of  putting  me  down,  and  preventing  th|i 
use  of  my  medicine;  but  after  all  this  pitiful  attempt  w> 
do  me  the  great  uiiury  which  they  so  foodly  anticipated, 
they  gained  nothing  by  it,  except  it  w|i%he  contempt  of 
all  the  honest  part  of  society,  who  were  knowing  to  the 
eircpnstances.-  To  put  a  stop  to  these  practices,  and 
prevent^he  public  from  being  imposed  upon,  I  cai||pd 
a  notice  to  be  published  in  the 'Pbrtsmoutb  and  Portland 
pi^pers,  cautioning  the  people  against  buying  these  books, 
or  makifag  use  of  the  medicine,  and  trespassing  on  my 
patent^  under  the  peaflty  of  ue  law  in  such  csjps  pro- 
vidfikl:  and  also  lonered  a  reward  of  fifty  dollars  to  any 
one  who  would  «ve  information  qf  any,  doctor,  wKo 


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ldlbuld'tr«8piu9>  <ii  iSy  patent,  and  f<en''d«Jiar8  for*mnf 
#ne  who  shoul4  be  foii|ul  guilty  of  selling  the  books. 
This  pui  a  «top  to  tifie  sale  of  the  books,  and  prevented 
them  from  doing  me  any  injury  by  this  trick;  for  those 
concerned  in  this  disgraceful  manoeuvre,  if/efe  compelled 
to  ttpkno^ledge  that  my  agents  could  sell  more  books  at 
twenty  dol}ars,  than  they  could  at  thirty-seven  and  ^  half 
cents.  ..\ 

I^^»iMitinued  in  Portsmouth,  after  the  loss  I  met  with 
firoli  the  fire,  informing  the  people  in  that  placiB  imd 
i^ciOify,  until  I  collected  another  assortment  of  medi^ 
eine,  "during  which  time  fifty  members  were  added- to 
^e  society  there.  I  appointed  Mr.  John  Locke  as  my 
agent  in  Portimouth,  and  the  soeiety  acceded  of  him  asi 
such,  to  take  the  management  of  the  practice,  ];ftfid4«||ip» 
ply  thent ^^th  medicine ;  I  agreed  to.  kllow  hitn  twenty- 
nve  per  c<i!nt.  on,  the -sale  of  rights,  and  in  etghtben 
montm  He  added  about  -forty  members  to  the  sodMy. 
He  conduced  himself  wkh  the  greatest  propriety ^n  the 
performan^  of  all  the  dutils  msigned  him,  an&iicrthis', 
as  w^as  in  all  other  concerns,  which  I  hiid  Witl^  him, 
has  given  me  thPiii|^hest  satisfaction.  I  m^ntioi  th^ 
tribute  of  praise  to  hi#>fidelity,  the  raoijIr^adiP^,  M^hfis 
one  tff  the  very  few  whom  I  have  put  oonfidencis  m,  that 
I%ave  found  honest  enough  to  do  justice  to  ffke  aid*  the 
people.-  It  has  generally  been  the  case,  with  those  I 
nave  appointed  as  agents,  that  as  soon  as  they  have  been 
sufficiently  instructed  to  attend  to^he  practice  with  suc- 
cess, and  give  satisfaction  to  the  |>eopie,  that  they  have 
i|||de  it  a  matter  of  speculation;  and  have,  by  all  'the 
means  that  they  could  llevise,  attempted  to  get  the  lead 
of  the  practice  s^  their  own  hands,  tttid  deprive  me  of 
the  credit  and  plpts  of  my  own  discovery;  and  when  I 
haver  found  out  Iheir  deaigns,  and  put  a  stop  to  th^ 
career|*by  depriving  them  of  their  agency,  they  Bkw 
uiiibrmly  turned  against  me  and  done  everything  in 
their  power  to  injure  mf^and  destroy  the  credit'  of  the 
medicme.  *  This  kii^d  of  conduct  ms  been  a  vfry  seri- 
ous evil,  and  has  cadlbd  me  much  trouble  and  expense, 
besidesidestroying  the  confidenct  of  the  people  •iht^e 

*  A  further  notice  will  be  tc^en  of  this  ag^i^t^n  another  place. 


#* 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


196 


benaficial  eflTecti  of  the  medicine  and  practice,  and  keep- 
ing back  the  information  necessary  for  its  being  properlj 
understood  by  them.  This,  however,  has  not  been  the 
case  with  all  that  I  have  entrusted  with  the  care  of  my 
busineas  a»  agents,  for  some  of  them  have  been  uniform- 
ly hooest  anafaithful,  both  to  me  and  to  those  to  whom 
they  have  given  the  information. 

while  Mr.  'Locke  was  acting  as  my  agent  at  Porte- 
moulh,  he  gave  ofibnce,  by  his  faithful  uid  upright  con- 
duct, to  some  members  of  the  society,  who  wanted  to 
reap  all  the  advantages  and  profits  without  any  labor  at 
expense.  They  made  complaint  to  me  of  his  conduct, 
and  wished  him  turned  out;  but  on  asking  th^m  for  their 
ct^arges  against  him,  they  said  he  speculated  on  the  medi- 
cine, and  sold  it  one  third  higher  than  I  did.  I  told 
them  that  I  had  been  obliged  to  raise  the  price,  in  con^ 
•equence  of  mv  lois  by  the  fire,  and  that  he  was  not  to 
blaine  for  it.  Theyj  however,  persisted  in  their  com- 
plaints, and  after  finding  that  they  could  not  make  me 
turn  against  him,  they  turned  against  me.  After  mak- 
ing further  inquiries  into  the  subject,  I  satisfied  myself 
of  their  reason"  for  wishing  Mr.  Locke  turned  out  of  the 
agency.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Holman,  whom  I  had 
four  years  previous  cured  of  a  consumption,  as  has  been 
before  related,  and  to  whom  I  had  given  the  information, 
and  authorized  to  form  a  society  at  Hopkinton,  where 
he  had  practised  three  years  without  making  me  any 
returns,  nad  returned  to  Portsmouth,  and  practised  with 
Mr.  Locke,  As  an  assistant.  This  man  formed  a  plan  to 
have  Mr.  Locke  turned  out,  in  order  to  get  his  place 
himself,  and  had  managed  so  as  to  gain  over  to  his  side 
a  number  of  the  society,  who  joined  with  him  in  effect- 
ing this  objecti  They  made  use  of  all  kinds  of  intrigue 
to  get  the  control  of  the  practice  out  of  my  hands,  by 
offering  to  buy  the  right  for  the  county,  and  many  other 
ways;  but  I  understood  their  designs,  and  refused  idl 
their  offers. 

At  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  society,  Holman 
was  chosen  their  affent  without  my  consent,  and  I  re- 
fiised  to  authorize  him  to  give  information;  for  he  had 
deceived  me  before,  by  saying,  on  his  return  to  Ports- 
mouth, that  he  could  not  ffi^m  a  society  at  Hopkinton, 


»«t 


136 


JV*arra<tv«  of  iK%  JAfi^  ^e. 


'Which  I  had  found  out  to  be  Mm;  and  inuiy  other 
t;hings  in  his  conduct  had  oauied  me  to  be, much  div^ 
satisfied  with  all  he  did,  that  I  declined  hBvin||  anything 
further  to  do  with  him.  He  periiited  in  praotieing)  and 
in  eighteen  months,  by  his  treaoherouf  conduct,  run 
down  the  credit  of  the  medicine  and  praotiee,  and  broke 
up  the  society,  after  it  had,  the  eishteen  monthi  previa 
ous,  got  under  good  way  by  Mr.  Looke'i  agency,  and 
was  in  a  very  prosperous  condition.  I  had  good  reason 
to  believe  that  Holman  was  employed  by  my  enemies  to 
break  me  up  in  this  place,  and  deitroy  the  credit  of  the 
medicine;  for  when  I  wils  absent,  I  aicertained  that  he 
gave  salt-petre  and  other  poisons,  under  the  pretence 
that  by  giving  it  the  night  befbre  it  would  prepare  the 
stomach  for  my  medicine  to  be  taken  in  the  morning. 
This  was  like  preparing  over  night  |o  build  a  fire  in  the 
morning,  by  filling  the  fire-place  with  mow  and  ice.  Af- 
ter preparing  the  stomach  in  this  way,  the  medicine 
would  have  no  beneficial  effect!;  and  he  would  then 
place  the  patient  over  a  steam,  which  caused  them  to 
faint.  In  this  way  he  proved  to  the  members  of  the  so- 
ciety that  my  mode  of  practice  was  bad,  and  thus  used 
his  uifluence  to  destroy  the  credit  of  my  medicine  in 
their  minds,  and  make  them  believe  that  I  had  deceived 
them.  His  practice  turned  out  very  unsucoemiAtl,  and 
he  lost  many  of  his  patients.  He  had  lost  more  in  six 
months,  than  I  had  lost  in  six  years,  which  I  imputed  en- 
tirely to  his  bad  conduct. 

After  my  return,  finding  how  things  were  situated  in 
regard  to  the  practice,  that  all  the  credit  I  had  gained 
by  seven  years  labor,  had  been  destroyed  in  eighteen 
months,  led  me  to  make  a  particular  inquiry  into  the 
cause.  On  visiting  his  patients  I  found  some  of  the  pills 
made  of  salt-petre,  and  also  some  opium  pills,  which  he 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  administering  iecretlr<to  his 

{>a|ients  under  the  name  of  my  medicine ;  and  after  col- 
ecting  an  assortment  of  his  poison,  I  called  a  meeting 
of  the  society,  and  proved  to  them  that  he  had  made 
use  of  these  poisons  under  the  pretence  of  giving  my 
medicine;  and  also  that  he  had  confessed  to  have. given 
tobacco,  when  called  on  to  administer  my  medicine ;  all 
of  which  satisfied  the  society  so  well  Of  the  baseness  of 


* 


Of  Samuel  Thornton. 


137 


the  conduct  o^  their  agent,  that  they  immediately  passed 
a  vote,  dismissing  him  from  his  agency.  A  committee 
was  appointed  to  investisate  the  whole  of  his  conduct, 
and  publish  a  statement  ofthe  same,  in  order  to  do  away 
the  false  impression  that  had  been  made  on  the  public 
mind,  and  convince  them  that  the  bad  success  of  this 
man's  practice,  had  been  owing  to  his  own  wicked  con- 
duct|  and  not  to  any  fault  in  the  medicine.  I  was  never 
able,  however,  to  get  this  committee  to  meet  and  attend 
to  the  duty  assigned  them  by  the  society,  although  they 
confessed  themselves  satisfied  ofthe  truth  of  my  charges 
against  Holman,  and  ofthe  injury  I  had  sustained  by  nis 
conduct;'  and  after  waiting  six  months,  and  finding  that 
they  were  more  willing  that  I  should  sufter,  than  that 
the  blame  should  fall  where  it  justly  belonged,  I  left  them 
to  their  more  fashionable  practice,  and  withdrew  all  my 
medicine  from  the  place. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  of  1814,  I  wrote  to  Mr. 
Mowe,  my  agent  at  Eastport,  to  leave  that  place,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  war  becoming  troublesome,  and  come 
to  Portsmouth.  He  came  up  in  May.  I  took  him  with 
me  and  went  to  Surry,  where  we  continued  through  the 
su^imer,  and  he  assisted  me  in  carrying  on  my  farm,  and 
collecting  an  assortment  of  medicine.  In  August,  we 
went  to  Onion  River,  where  my  father  resided,  to  make 
a  visit,  and  collect  some  articles  of  medicine,  that  coyld 
pot  be  obtained  in  Surry.  After  my  return,  Mr.  Mowe 
went  to  Portsmouth,  and  I  remained  at  home  till  after 
the  harvesting  was  over,  then  went  to  Portsmouth,  to 
collect  medicine,  and  ajttended  to  some  practice.  Some 
time  in  December,  I  returned  home,  and  found  an  ex- 
press had  been  there  for  me  to  go  to  Guildford,  sent  by 
Mr.  Davis,  whom  I  had  attended  the  year  before  at 
Portsmouth.  I  went  with  all  speed,  and  found  his  wife 
sick  with  a  consumption.    I  attended  her  a  few  days,  to 

S've  them  information,  and  sold  him  the  right  of  usins 
e  medicine;  and  also  sold  some  rights  to  others.  1 
then  returned  to  Portsmouth,  and  sent  Mr.  Mowe  to 
Guildford  to  practise,  tod  give  information  to  those  who 
had  purchased  the  rights,  where  he  remained  till  spring. 
During  the  time  Mr.  Mowe  was  at  Guildford,  he  was 
very  successful  in  his  practice,  and  made  some  remark- 
12* 


m 


MuhraUve  of  the  lAfe,  8fe, 


able  cures.  Great  opposition  was  made  to  hii  practice, 
by  the  doctors,  and  all  the  false  represent'atioui  made 
about  it  that  they  could  invent,  to  prejudice  the  minda 
of  the  people  against  the  medicine  and  stop  its  being  in- 
troduced among  them.  After  this,  another  plan  wae  got 
up  to  injure  me ;  societies  were  formed  in  the  manner  I 
had  fiffmed  mine,  and  members  wore  admitted  for  two 
dollars.  The  only  information  giVen  them  was  to  Airniih 
each  member  with  one  of  the  pamphlets,  containing  my. 
directions,  which  had  been  stolen  from  a  woman  and 
published  at  Portland,  Without  my  knowledge.  In  this 
manner,  my  system  of  practice,  in  the  hands  and  under 
the  superintendence  of  those  who  were  endeavoring  to 
destroy  me,  became  popular  in  Guilford  and  the  towns 
adjacent;  and  had  become  so  imjportant,  that  a  general 
invitation  was  given  iroughout  the  neighboring  towni 
for  the  people  to  come  and  join  them  in  the  sreat  im^ 
provement  of  testorfitig  the  health  of  mankind.  Thus 
did  these  professional  gentlemen  tamper  with  my  rights 
and  the  credulity  of  the  people,  for  tne  pitiftil  purpose 
of  injuring  me,  by  pretending  to  sell  ell  my  informattoll 
for  two  dollars,  for  which  I  asked  twenty;  and  in  their 
hands  called  it  honorable,  scientific  knowledge.  After 
these  trespasses  had  become  open  and  general,  and  the 
people  had  been  invited  to  join  in  it,  m;^  agent  at  Guild- 
ford, wrote  me  a  letter,  giving  information  of  the  trans** 
action,  and  I  went  there  to  see  to  it.  On  my  arrival,  I 
conversed  with  those  who  had  purchesed  their  rights  of 
me  or  my  a^ent;  they  informed  me  of  the  ihcti  as  above 
related,  and  said  that  they  had  been  solicited  to  join  the 
society  that  had  been  formed;  and  they  wished  my  ad- 
vice, whether  they  should  attend  a  seneral  meeting  which 
was  to  be  held  in  about  a  fortnigTit.  I  told  them  that 
they  nad  better  attend;  they  then  asked  me  if  they 
should  be  asked  for  information,  what  they  should  do 
about  giving  it;  I  told  them  that  I  thought  people  joined 
societies  to  get  information,  and  not  to  give  it.  I  em- 
ployed an  attorney  to  proceed  asainst  those  who  tres- 
passed, and  have  them  punished  according  to  law,  in 
such  cases  provided,  and  returned  to  Portsmouth.  'And 
here  the  matter  rested,  as  I  heard  of  no  fltrther  trespass 
in  that  quarter. 


\ 


Of  Samuel  Tlum^m. 


139 


In  the  month  of  February,  1815, 1  had  an  application 
to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  introduce  my  societies  and  sys- 
tem of  practice  m  that  city.  Thinkmg  it  not  proper  to 
go  alone,  I  made  an  agreement  with  Mr.  John  Locke,  to 
go  with  me;  and  after  we  got  every  thing  prepared,  he 
started  on  the  seventh  in  the  morning  to  so  in  the  stage, 
and  I  chose  to  go  by  water,  and  sailed  the  same  day  in 
a  vessel  for  New  York.  We  had  a  Ions  and  tedious 
passage,  suffering  very  much  from  the  cold.  We  had  a 
gale  of  wind  which  blew  us  off  into  the  Gulf  Stream, 
and  we  were  two  hundred  miles  south  of  our  port;  on 
getting  into  a  warmer  latitude  the  weather  became 
warmer,  when  we  were  enabled  to  get  clear  of  the  ice, 
with  which  the  vessel  was  much  burdened,  and  could 
set  some  sail;  and  we  arrived  at  New  York  after  a  very 
rough  passage  of  seventeen  days. 

During  the  passage,  one  of  the  crew  had  frozen  his 
handi^  and  feet  very  badly,  and  when  we  had  got  where 
the  weather  became  warmer,  he  was  in  the  most  extreme 
pain.  He  said  that  it  seemed  as  though  the  bones  of 
his  hands  and  feet  were  coming  in  pieces;  his  suffering 
was  so  great  that  the  tears  would  run  firom  his  eyes,  and 
the  sweat  down  his  cheeks  with  the  pain.  I  was  re- 
quested by  the  captain  and  crew  to  do  something  to  re- 
lieve him.  I  agreed  to  do  the  best  I  could  for  him,  in 
the  cold  and  comfortless  situation  we  were  in.  There 
was  ho  place  to  keep  a  fire  under  decks,  and  the  weather 
was  so  rough  that  we  could  seldom  keep  any  in  the 
camboose  on  deck.  I  was  obliged  to  administer  the  medi- 
cine according  to  my  judgment  in  the  best  manner  I 
could.  In  the  first  place  I  procured  handkerchiefs  and 
cloths  enough  to  wrap  his  hands  and  feet  up  in  several 
thicknesses,  then  wet  them  well  with  cold  water,  and 
wrapped  his  hands  and  feet  as  well  as  I  could,  wetting 
them  with  cold  water,  and  put  him  in  his  birth,  covered 
well  with  blankets,  and  gave  him  the  warmest  medicine 
to  take  I  had  with  me,  and  repeated  it  to  keep  the  in- 
ward heat  sufficient  to  cause  a  free  circulation  in  the 
limbs;  and  if  his  hands  and  feet  grew  painful,  poured 
cold  water  on  the  cloths;  and  continued  this  course  of 
treatment,  of  keeping  the  inward  heat  above  the  out- 
ward, by  raising  the  one  and  letting  down  the  other,  till 


140 


JWrafMW  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc. 


I  got  the  fountain  above  the  stream;  and  in  about  two 
houra,  fVeed  him  firorn  all  pain,  to  the  surprise  and  aston> 
ishment  of  all  the  hands  on  board.  When  I  come  to 
take  off  the  cloths,  the  blood  had  settled  under  the  nails 
and  under  the  skin,  which  came  off  without  any  blister 
being  raised,  and  before  we  arrived  at  New  York,  he 
was  able  to  attend  his  watch. 

It  was  said  by  the  captain  and  crew  that  this  was  the 
most  remarkable  cure  they  had  ever  known;  and  that 
if  he  had  been  attended  in  the  common  form,  he  would 
have  lost  his  toes  if  not  his  feet,  besides  suffering  much 
'  pain  and  a  long  confinement.  It  will  be  necessary  to 
remark,  that  the  greatness  of  this  cure  consisted  in  its 
simplicitv ;  any  person  could  have  performed  the  same, 
who  had  come  to  years  of  discretion,  by  adopting  the 
same  plan,  and  many  times  be  the  means  of  saving  the 
amputation  of  limbs.  There  is  no  mystery  in  it,  the 
whole  plan  consists  in  keeping  the  determining  power 
to  the  surface,  from  the  fountain  of  the  body,  which  is 
the  stomach;  iVom  which  all  the  limbs  rec^ve  their  sup- 
port and  warmth,  and  lyhen  you  cannot  raise  the  fountain 
sufficient  to  give,  nature  its  proper  course,  you  must  lower 
the  stream,  or  outward  heat,  by  keeping  the  heat  down 
on  the  limbs,  and  raising  the  inward  heat,  when  there 
can  no  mortification  ever  return  from  the  limbs  to  the 
body,  any  'more  than  a  log  can  float  against  a  stream. 

In  the  case  above  stated,  before  I  began  to  do  any 
thing  for  the  man,  I  duly  considered  his  situation;  he 
had  been  almost  ^hilled  to  death  by  the  extreme  cold 
weather,  so  that  his  limbs  had  very  little  warmth  from 
the  body,  not  enough  to  bring  them  to  their  feeling;  until 
the  warm  weather  raised  a  fever  on  the  limbs  faster  than 
in  the  body,  and  in  proportion  as  the  heat  in  the  extremi- 
ties is  raised  above  that  in  the  body,  by  applying  hot 
poultices  or  other  similar  applications,  so  much  wiu  the 
whole  system  be  disordered,  and  the  parts  that  have  been 
injured  will  be  extr«ii»ely  painful,  and  by  a  continued 
application  of  such  means,  the  fever  or  outward  heat  will 
increase  by  the  current  being  turned  inward,  till. mortifi- 
cation takes  place,  when  the  limbs  have  to  be  taken  off 
to  save  life;  and  in  most  cases  the  body  has  become  so 
much  disordered,  that  they  die  after  all.    This  may,  I 


C^  Samuel  Tkonuon. 


141 


ftm  confident,  be  avoided  by  understanding  my  •  plan  of 
treatment  and  pursuing  it  with  zeal,  particularly  in  all 
cases  of  burns  or  freezing. 

On  my  arrival  at  New  )fork,  I  found  Mr.  Locke,  who 
had  come  in  the  stage,  and  had  been  waiting  for  me  ten 
days.  The  next  morning  we  started  in  the  stage  for 
Philadelphia,  where  we  arrived  that  evening,  ana  went 
to  a  boarding  house  and  put  up  for  the  night.  In  the 
morning  we  went  in  search  of  Elder  Plunier,  with 
whom  I  had  engaged  the  fall  before,  to  go  to  Philadel- 
phia; we  found  him  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  and 
he  expressed  much  joy  at  our  arrival.  He  preached  a 
lecture  that  evening,  and  appointed  a  meeting  at  the 
same  place  the  next  evening  for  me ;  at  which  1  attend- 
ed and- gave  a  lecture;  there  was  a  large  collection  of 
people  attended  this  meeting,  and  I  gave  a  full  and  ex- 
plicit explanation  of  the  principles  upon  which  my  sys- 
tem is  founded.  There  were  two  medical  students 
present,  and  while  I  was  endeavouring  to  give  a  view  of 
the  formation  of  the  animal  creation  out  of  the  four  ele- 
ments; that  heat  was  life,  and  cold  death;  and  that  the 
blood  was  necessary  to  life,  as  being  the  nourishment  of 
the  flesh,  and  inasmuch  as  it  was  taken  away,  so  much 
was  life  and  health  diminished,  one  of  them  interrupted 
me  and  said,  that  cold  was  a  promotion  of  life,  and  that 
bleeding  was  beneficial  to  preserve  life  also.  I  answer- 
ed him  by  stating,  that  admitting  his  doctrine  to  be  true, 
an  animal  that  had  the  blood' taken  from  it  and  was  fVo- 
zen,  would  be  the  liveliest  creature  in  the  world.  This 
unexpected  retort  caused  a  laugh,  and  the  two  medical 
gentlemen  left  the  room.  I  then  went  on  and  concluded 
the  explanations  I  wished  to  make,  which  gave  general 
satisfaction  to  the  people  present;  and  sixteen  signed 
the  articles  of  agreement  that  night,  to  obtain  the 
knowledge  of  the  medicine  and  practice,  to  whom  I 
engaged  to  give  informi^ion  by  lectures.  We  remained 
there  about  a  week,  in  which  time  about  twenty  bought 
the  right. 

When  we  had  completed  our  business  at  Philadelphia, 
we  went  on  to  Washington,  where  we  remained  several 
days,  and  had  a  view  of  the  ruins  of  the  public  build- 
ings, which  had  been  distroyed  by  the  British,  when 


142 


A*aiTafi0«  of  (4e  !«/<,  ^t. 


r'- 


they  took  possesuon  of  that  city,  about  aix  months  pre- 
vious to  our  being  there.  While  at  the  capitol,  1  had  an 
interview  with  General  Varnum,  and  eome  convoraation 
passed  between  us  cencerning  the  pipsisway,  which  had 
been  found  useful  in  a  case  of  cancer  for  which  I  at- 
tended his  wife  when  practising  at  Pelham,  in  the  year 
1807.  He  said  that  it  having  been  found  so  useful  in  all 
cancerous  cases,  he  thought  it  ought  to  be  published  in 
the  newspapers  <^  almanac,  for  the  benefit  of  those  who 
were  afflicted  with  this  dangerous  disease,  and  express- 
ed a  wish  that  I  would  do  it.  I  told  him  that  I  thought 
it'  would  be  better  for  him  to  publish  it  than  for  me,  and 
he  consented;  and  the  next  year  he  published  it  in  the 
almanac,  which  was  the  cause  of  much  speculation  in 
this  article,  and  of  which  I  shall  give  some  account  in 
another  part  of  this  work. 

After  staying  in  Washington  a  few  days,  we  went  to 
Alexandria  where  we  remained  about  a  week,  in  which 
time  I  collected  some  Cyprus  bark,  which  is  known  there 
by  the  name  of  poplar,  and  what  we  call  poplar,  is  by 
them  called  quaking-asp,  on  account  of  the  constant 
shaking  of  its  leaves^  While  at  this  place  I  fell  in  com- 
pany with  Capt.  Davis,  of  Portsmouth,  and  agreed  to  take 
passage  with  him  and  return  to  that  place.  Arrange* 
ments  were  made  for  Mr.  Locke  to  return  by  land}  and  I 
directed  him  to  stop  at  Washington  and  get  a  copy  of  my 
patent,  then  to  go  on  to  Philadelphia  and  remain  there 
as  long  as  it  should  be  necessary  to  give  information  to 
those  who  purchased  the  rights,  or  any  that  should  wish 
to  purchase  them  in  that  city,  and  after  paying  proper 
attention  to  them,  to  return  to  Portsmouth.  I  then 
went  on  board  the  vessel  and  we  set  sail;  and,  after  a 
long  passage,  arrived  safe  at  Portsmouth  about  the  same 
time  that  Mr.  Locke  got  there. 

During  this  summer,  I  visited  Eastport,  Portland, 
Charlestowtt,  South  Reading  and  other  places  where  so- 
cieties had  been  formed,  or  rights  sold  to  individuals,  to 
five  information  to  the  people;  and  in  all  places  where 
went,  found  the  book  of  directions,  which  had  bben 
clandestinely  obtained  and  published  by  the  doctors  and 
others,  to  iniirre  me  by  stopping  the  sale  of  rights,  sell- 
ing at  37 1"2  cents.  ;  I  was  under  the. necessity  of  putting 


Of  Samuel  Tkomion. 


143 


haa  an 
Brtatioa 
ich  had 
:h  1  at- 
he  year 
ul  in  all 
iihed  in 
[>a6  who 
expreM- 

thought 
me,  and 
it  in  the 
lation  in 
oount  in 

went  to 
in  which 
iwn  there 
ar,  ia  hy 
constant 
1  in  com- 
id  to  take 
Arrange* 
id;  and  I 
^py  of  my 
in  there 
lation  to 
luld  with 
proper 
I  then 
after  a 
the  same 

Portland, 
^here  ao- 
luali,  to 
ks  where 
lad  b^en 
Itora  and 
)ta,  aell- 
|f  putting 


an  advertisement  in  the  papers,  cautioning  the  people 
against  this  imposition,  which  put  a  stop  to  their  sale; 
but  great  pains  were  taken  by  my  enemies  to  circulate 
them  among  the  people;  and  this  is  the  way  that  some 
of  my  articles  or  medicine  came  to  be  made  use  of 
through  the  country  in  colds,  such  as  cayenne,  ginger, 
&o.  In  1816  I  published  another  edition  of  my  book 
of  directions,  and  secured  the  copy  right;  but  this  was 
reprinted  at  Taunton,  and  I  advertised  it  as  before,  and 
stopped  its  progress. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1815, 1  went  to  Cape  Cod  to 
procure  some  marshrosemary,  and  collected  a  quantit^jr, 
carried  it  to  Portsmouth  and  prepared  it  for  use.  This 
is  the  last  time  I  have  collected  any  of  this  article,  and 
as  it  becomes  scarce,  think  I  shall  make  no  more  use 
of  it.  It  h  too  cold  and  binding,  without  using  a  large 
share  of  bayberry  bark  and  cayenne  with  it,  to  keep  the 
saliva  free.  I  have  found  other  articles  as  substitutes, 
which  answer  a  bette^  purpose,  such  as  hemlock  bark, 
which  I  have  of  late  made  use  of  and  found  very  good,* 
white  lily  roots,  witch-lM^le  and  raspberry  leaves,  and 
sumach  berries;  the  last  article  is  very  good  alone, 
steeped  and  sweetened,  and  is  as  pleasant  as  wine;  it  is 
good  for  children  in  cases  of  canker,  especially  in  long 
cases  of  sickness  when  other  articles  become  disagreear 
ble  to  them. 

In  theisprin^  of  the  rear  1816, 1  went  again  to  Cape, 
Cod  for  medicine,  ana  found  that  the  spotted  fever,  or 
what  was  called  the  cold  plague,  prevailed  there,  and  the 
people  were  much  alarmed,  as  they  could  get  no  help 
from  the  doctors.  I  told  them  I  had  come  after  medi- 
cine where  they  were  dying  for  want  of  the  knowledge 
how  to  use  it.  They  were  desirous  for  me  to  try  my 
practice  and  satisfy  them  of  its  utility.  A  young  man 
in  the  next  house  to  where  I  was,  beting  attacked  with  the 
fever  the  day  before,  went  to  see  him,  and  the  family 
expressed  a  wish  to  have  me  try  my  medicine.  I  put  a 
blanket  round  him  and  put  him  by  the  fire;  took  a  tea 
spoonful  of  composition,  and  added  more  No.  2  and  as 
mttteh  flinffar,  put  it  in  a  tea  cup,  and  poured  to  it  a  wine 
glass  of  not  watef,  when  cool  enough  to  take,  added  a 
tea  spoonful  of  the  rheumatic  drops;  he  took  it  and  in 


144 


JVarra/>««  of  ikt  Uft^  6fc. 


fifteen  minutee  was  in  a  free  perspiration;  he  was  then 
put  in  bed  and  a  hot  stone  wrapped  in  wet  cloths  put 
to  his  feet  to  raise  a  steam.  I  then  left  him  in  the  care 
of  his  friends,  with  some  medicine  to  be  given  during 
the  night;  they  kept  the  perspiration  free  ul  night,  and 
in  the  morning  heat  had  gained  the  victory,  the  canker 
was  destroyed,  and  he  was  comfortable  and  soon  got 
well. 

I  attended  three  other  persons  in  one  house,  who  had 
been  sick  a  longer  time,  and  had  taken  other  medicine, 
so  that  it  was  more  difficult  to  cure  them.  I  steeped  No. 
3,  and  poured  off  half  a  tea  cupful  and  sweetened  it,  and 
added  half  a  tea  spoonful  of  No.  2,  when  cool  enough 
to  take,  put  in  one  tea  spoonful  of  No.  1,  and  gave  it  to 
each  of  the  patients,  repeating  it  once  in  fifteen  minutes, 
till  they  had  taken  it  three  times,  whether  they  puked  or 
not  in  that  time,  kept  a  hot  stone  wrapped  in  wet  cloths 
at  their  feet  to  keep  up  a  steam;  while  they  were  under 
the  operation  of  the  puking  and  sweating,  gave  them  as 
much  cider  or  water  to  drink  as  they  required;  when 
they  had  done  vomiting,  gave  milk  porridge  freely.  As 
soon  as  they  had  done  sweating,  and  their  strength  had 
returned,  got  them  up  and  steamed  them  as  long  as  they 
could  bear  it ;  then  rubbed  them  over  with  spirits,  water 
or  vinegar,  changed  their  clothes,  and  they  went  to  bed, 
or  sat  up  as  their  strength  would  permit.  I  will  ^ere 
remark  for  the  information  of  the  reader,  that  when  the 
patient  is  so  bad  as  not  to  be  able  to  get  up,  they  must  be 
oteamed  in  bed  as  hot  as  they  can  bear  it,  then  set  them 
up  on  end,  rub  them  as  before  mentioned,  and  change  their 
clothes  and  bed  clothes.  This  last  direction  in  imoortant 
to  be  attebded  to,  for  if  their  own  clothes  are  c&anged 
without  changing  the  bed  clothes,  they  will  absorb  a  part 
of  the  filth  that  nas  beea  discharged  through  the  pores, 
and  add  to  what  remains  of  the  disorder.  This  precau- 
tion is  all  impqi;tant  in  every  case  of  disease,  and  should 
be  paid  particular  attention  to,  in  order  to  guard  Against 
taking  back  any  part  of  what  has  been  thrown  ofi^.by 
the  operation  of  the  medicine^  The  nurse  or  those  who 
atteno  upon  the  sick,  are  also  in  danger  from  the  same 
cause,  and  should  be  particularly  careful  to  guard  against 
taking  the  disorder  by  breithing  in  the  foul  vapor  from 


the 
der 
whic 
tiona 
the  I 
and 
ally 
a  tei 
when 
is  wo 
Ad 
tend 
deolin 


u  then 
ths  put 
le  cwtp 

during 
;ht,  and 

canker 
oon  got 

who  had 
ledicine, 

nd  No. 
t,  and 
enough 
[ave  it  to 
minutes, 
puked  or 
et  cloths 
re  under 
them  as 
»d;  when 
lely.    As 
pgth  had 
as  they 
ts,  water 
t  to  bed, 
will  l^ere 
vhen  the 
must  be 
set  them 
age  their 
mportant 
•hanged 
rb  apart 
}  pores, 
precau- 
d  should 
against 
I  off  by 
lose  who 
le  same 
against 
tr  from 


Of  Samuel  T%onuon. 


145 


the  bod  clothes,  and  standins  over  the  patient  when  un> 
der  the  operation  of  the  medicine,  the  principal  effect  of 
which  is  to  throw  off  by  perspiration  and  other  evacua- 
tions, the  putrefaction  that  disease  has  engendered  in 
the  body.  To  guard  against  this,  take  some  hot  bitters, 
and  keep  a  piece  of  ginger  root  in  the  mouth,  occasion- 
ally swallowinff  some  of  it,  when  most  exposed;  also  take 
a  tea  spoonful  of  Nos.  3  and  3,  steeped  in  hot  water, 
when  going  to  bed ;  one  ounce  of  prevention  in  this  way, 
is  worth  a  pound  of  cure  when  sick. 

AAer  relieving  those  four  cases,  I  was  sent  for  to  at- 
tend a  woman,  who  had  been  sick  for  a  long  time;  I 
declined  attending  any  more  unless  they  would  buy  the 
right.  This  displeased  her  so  much,  because  I  was  not 
willing  to  practise  and  cure  all  of  them  for  nothing,  that 
she  abused  me  for  my  declining  to  attend  her.  Two 
men  bought  the  rights,  and  they  asked  me  how  much  I 
would  take  for  the  right  of  the  whole  town.  I  offered 
it  to  them  for  the  price  of  twenty  rights;  but  they  said 
that  the  sickness  had  so  much  abated  that  the  alarm  was 
nearly  over,  and  declined  my  offer.  This  disease  first 
appeared  in  Easthamthe  fore  part  of  February,  in  which 
month  twenty-seven  died,  in  March,  fourteen,  and  me  in 
April,  making  in  the  whole,  forty-six  in  three  months  in 
this  small  place.  I  left  some  medicine  with  those  who 
had  purchased  the  rights,  and  returned  to  Boston. 

Within  a  week  after  my  return  from  Cape  Cod,  I  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Eastham,  to  come  there  as  soon  as 
possible.  I  took  a  stock  of  medicine,  and  went  on  there 
as  quick  as  I  could ;  and  on  my  arrival,  found  tliat  the 
fever  had  again  made  its  appearance  among  the  people, 
with  double  fatality.  I  soon  found  enough  ready  to 
purchase  the  twenty  rights,  for  which  I  had  offered  to  sell 
the  right  of  the  whole  town.  I  attended  on  many  of 
those  who  had  the  disease,  in  company  with  the  two  m«n 
who  had  purchased  the  right  of  me  when  there  beforej 
and  instructed  them  how  to  carry  the  patients  through  a 
course  of  the  medicine;  and  they  attended  and  gave  in- 
formation to  others;  when  they  could  meet  together,  I 
gave  information  by  lectures;  those  who  g(rt  the  infcNr- 
mation  attended  wherever  they  were  wanted.  I  pursued 
my  usual  mode  of  treatment,  by  administering  the  medi- 
13 


It* 


146 


Ifarrativt  of  the  JUftt  ifc. 


cine  to  promote  a  free  perspiration,  and  when  necessary, 
steamed  and  gave  injections,  cleansed  the  stomach,  and 
cleared  off  the  canker;  the  success  in  curing  this  alarm- 
ing disease  was  very  great.  I  staid  about  two  weeks, 
during  which  time  there  were  attended  with  my  medi- 
cine, thirty-four  cases,  of  whom  only  one  died,  the  rest 
got  well.  At  the  same  time,  of  those  who  were  attend- 
ed by  the  regular  doctors,  eleven  out  of  twelve  died,  mak- 
ing in  the  whole  upwards  of  fifty  deaths  in  a  short  time  in 
this  place,  which  was  about  one  twelfth  part  of  the  in- 
habitants that  were  at  home.  The  truth  of  the  above 
statements  is  authenticated  by  the  certificates  of  the 
Selectmen  of  the  town,  and  other  respectable  inhabitants, 
which  will  be  inserted  in  another  part  of  the  work. 

During  my  stay  this  time,  I  attended  the  husband  of 
the  woman  who  had  abused  me  when  here  before,  at  the 
house  of  his  sister;  she  came  there  while  I  was  attend- 
ing upon  her  husbasd,  and  treated  me  and  him  in  a 
most  abusive  manner,  saying  that  she  would  die  sooner 
than  take  ai^y  of  my  medicine,  or  have  any  thing  to  do 
with  me.  After  she  had  vented  her  spite  to  her  own 
satisfaction,  she  went  home,  was  taken  sick  on  the  way, 
and  was  one  of  the  last  who  died  with  the  fever  at  this 
time.  The  people  generally,  treated  me  with  kindness 
and  respect,  and  took  great  interest  in  my  cause;  and 
the  success  of  my  system  of  practice,  in  relieving  them 
from  this  alarming  disease,  gave  universal  satisfaction. 

I  formed  those  who  purchased  the  rights,  into  a  socie- 
ty; and  they  chose  a  committee,  whom  I  authorized  as 
agents  to  sell  rights  and  medicine ;  but  this  caused  a 
jealousy  among  the  rest  of  the  members,  who  said  I  gave 
privileges  to  some  more  than  to  others. 

I  have  formed  four  societies,  and  given  them  certain 
privileges,  by  allowing  them  part  of  the  profits  on  the 
sale  of  rights  and  medicine ;  but  as  soon  as  there  ^as 
any  funds,  it  has  always  created  uneasiness  among  the 
members.  Some  of  the  ignorant  and  selfish,  would  call 
for  their  dividends,  as  though  it  was  bank  stock,  ii^stead 
of  feeling  grateful  for  the  advantages  they  enjoy  by  hav- 
ing their  diseases  cured,  and  their  minds  relieved  from 
t^^^f^^ming  C(>i^^gi|^9pe8  .(^f  a  disease,  with  ii  U:i^i|ig 


.j/'iiiiri 


■.■in%'im,':in:hi 


MH'^V      • 


•f- 


Of  Samuel  Tlumion. . 


tki 


expense.  I  have  since  altered  my  plan,  and  now  have 
but  one  society.  Every  one  who  purchases  a  right  for 
himself  and  family,  becomes  a  member  of  the  Friendly 
Botanic  Society,  and  is  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  a 
free  intercourse  with  each  other,  and  to  converse  with 
any  one  \vho  has  bought  a  right,  for  instruction  and  as- 
sistance in  sickness,  as  each  one  is  bound  to  give  his 
assistance,  by  advice  or  otherwise,  when  called  on  by  a 
member.  In  this  way  much  more  good  can  be  done, 
and  there  will  be  much  more  good-will  towards  each 
other,  than  where  there  is  any  money  depending. 

I  had  now  been  in  practice,  constantly  attendmg  upon 
those  laboring  under  disease,  whenever  called  on,  for 
about  thirty  years;  had  suffered  much  both  in  body  and 
mind,  from  the  persecutions  I  had  met  with,  and  my  un- 
wearied exertions  to  relieve  the  sick ;  and  to  establish 
my  system  of  practice  upon  a  permanent  basis,  that  the 
people  might  become  satisfied  of  its  superiority  over  that 
which  is  practised  by  those  styled  regular  physicians; 
putting  it  in  their  power  to  become  their  own  physicians, 
by  enabling  everv  one  to  relieve  themselves  and  friends, 
from  all  disease  mcident  to  our  country,  by  making  use 
of  those  vegetable  medicines,  the  produce  of  our  own 
country,  which  are  perfectly  safe  and  easily  obtained; 
and  which,  if  properly  understood,  are  fully  sufficient  in 
all  cases  of  disease,  where  there  can  be  any  chance  of 
without  any  danger  of  the  pernicious,  and  often 


cure. 


fatal  consequences  attending  the  administering  those 
poisons  that  the  fashionable  doctors  are  in  the  habit  of 
giving  to  their  patients. 

After  having  discovered  a  system,  and  by  much  labor 
and  constant  perseverance  reduced  it  to  practice,  in  a 
manner  that  had  given  general  satisfaction  to  all  who 
had  become  acquamted  with  it,  and  having  secured  the 
same  by  patent,  in  order  that  I  might  reap  some  benefit 
from  my  discovery,  to  support  me  in  my  old  age,  having 
by  a  long  series  of  attendance  on  the  sick,  both  as  phy- 
sician and  nurse,  become  ahnost  worn  out,  Icame  to  the 
determination  to  appoint  some  suitable  person,  who  would 
do  justice  to  me  and  the  cause,  as  a  general  agent,  to 
take  the  lead  in  practice,  and  give  the  necessary  infor- 
mation to  those  who  should  purchase  the  rights,  which 


# 


14S 


JfarraHme  of  ihe  JAfe,  4rc. 


would  enable  me  to  retire  from  practice  and  receire  a 
rii^are  of  the  profits  as  a  reward  for  my  long  sufferings. 
After  considerable  inquiry,  I  became  acquainted  with 
Elias  Sinith,  who  wa;  recommended  as  a  man  in  whom 
I  could  confide,  and  who  was  every  way  qualified  as 
a  suitable  person  to  engage  in  the  undertaking.  I 
found  him  in  Boston,  and  in  very  poor  circumstances; 
having  been  for  many  years  a  public  preacher,  but  in 
consequence  of  his  often  changing  his  religious  princi- 

Sles  and  engaging  in  different  projects  in  which  he  had 
een  unsuccesslul,  he  was  now  without  a  society  or  any 
visible  means  of  supporting  himself  and  family.  He 
readily  engaged  with  me,  and  promised  to  do  every  thing 
in  his  power,  to  promote  my  interest  and  extend  the  use- 
fulness of  my  system  of  practice. 

I  sold  him  a  family  right  in  December,  1816,  and  was 
in  his  family  during  the  winter,  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
structing him  in  the  practice,  to  qualify  him  to  attend 
upon  the  sick,  and  give  information  to  others.^  I  put  the 
utmost  confidence  m  his  honor,  and  spared  no  pains  in 
communicating  to  him,  without  any  reserve  whatever,  all 
tiie  knowledge  I  had  gained  by  my  experience,  both  by 
practice  and  verbal  instruction;  under  the  expectation, 
that  when  he  became  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the 
system  and  practice,  I  sholild  be  rewarded  for  my  trou- 
ble, by  his  faithfully  performing  his  duty  towards  me, 
according  to  his  promise.  I  shcdl  make  no  remark  upon 
my  being  disappointed  in  all  my  expectations  in  regard 
to  Mr.  Smith's  conduct,  and  the  treatment  I  received 
from  him  after  he  had  gained  a  knowledge  of  the  prac- 
tice firom  me,  to  enable  him  to  set  up  for  himself;  but 
shall  proceed  to  give  a  short  account  of  what  took  place 
during  my  connection  with  him. 

The  first  case  I  attended  with  him  was  in  his  own 
family .  His  son  had  the  itch  very  badly,  so  that  he  was 
nearly  one  half  of  him  one  raw  sore.  They  had  fried 
the  usual  remedies  without  any  benefit.  I  snowed  him 
the  use  of  No.  3,  to  wash  with,  to  stop  the  smart  .of  the 
sores;  then  took  some  rheumatic  drops  and  added  about 
one  fourth  part  of  spirits  of  turpentine  and  washed  him 
with  it;  this  is  very  painful  when  applied  where  the  skin 
is  9ff;  to  prevent  which  mix  with  it  some  of  thjp  wash 


toiade  of 

give  son 
ed;  an 
shaken  t 
ment  on( 
The  I 

S)ther  01 
e  ague 
pass  of 
ting  a  sm 
between 
her  some 
was  curei 
_  I  was  ( 
''  June; 
»  '•  wit 
.^ouse  to 
been  give 
much  8W( 
proportior 
direction, 
cine  everj 
or  twice  a 
tended  ui 
four  was  I 
about  for 
the  lofjor 
•of  carryin 
absent;   I 
pt  fVight 
mformatio 
came  to  hi 
her,   and 
of  this  w( 
informatioi 
like  to  her 
will  show; 
lated. 

Another 
who  was  ir 
tity  of  phy 
On  takmg 


m 


Of  Samuel  ThovMon.' 


149 


Made  of  No.  S;  at  the  same  time  of  applying  the  above, 

give  some  of  the  composition,  especially  when  going  to 
ed ;  and  occasionally  give  about  fifteen  of  the  drops, 
shaken  together,  on  loaf  sugar.    By  pursuing  this  ^treat- 
ment one  week  this  boy  was  entirely  cured. 
The  next  case,  which  was  the  first  we  attended  to- 

Stther  out  of  his  house,  was  a  young  woman,  who  had 
e  ague  in  her  face.  I  showed  him  the  whol^  pro- 
cess of  curing  this  complaint ;  which  was  done  by  put- 
ting a  small  quantity  of  No.  2  in  a  cloth,  and  placing  it 
between  her  cheek  and  teeth;  at  the  same  time  giving 
her  some  of  Nos.  3  and  3  to  take,  and  in  two  hours  she 
was  cured. 
I  was  constantly  with  him  in  practice  from  February 
^t  June;  during  which  time  we  attended  many  bad 
ti  IS  with  great  success.  A  Mrs.  Grover  came  to  his 
^ouse  to  be  attended,  who  had  the  dropsy.  She  had 
been  given  over  by  her  doctor  as  incurable,  and  was  so 
much  swelled  as  to  be  blind,  and  her  body  and  limbs  in 
proportion.  Mr.  Smith  undertook  her  case  under  my 
direction,  and  carried  her  through  a  course  of  the  medi- 
cine every  day  for  nine  days,  and  then  occasionally  once 
or  twice  a  week  till  she  was  cured.  She  was  thus  at- 
tended under  my  inspection  for  three  weeks,  and  in 
four  was  entirely  cured;  for  which  she  gave  Mr.  Smith 
about  forty  dollars.  In  this  case  I  did  a  great  part  of 
the  \vhov  and  ha  got  the  pay.  About  the  third  time 
•of  carrying, her  through  a  course  of  the  medicine,  I  was 
absent;  her  symptoms  appeared  unfavorable,  and  he 
got  fVightened;  a  nurse  woman,  to  whom  I  had  given 
mformation,  and  who  had  more  experience  than  he  had, 
came  to  his  assistance,  and  by  using  injections  relievi^d 
her,  and  prevented  mortification.  The  circumstance 
of  this  woman  proving  that  she  was  forward  of  him  2n 
information,  seemed  to  fix  in  Mr.  Smith's  mind  a  dis- 
like to  her  ever  after,  as  his  subsequent  treatment  of  her 
will  show;  the  particulars  of  which  will  be  hereafter  ir^- 
lated. 

Another  case  was  of  a  man  who  came  to  his  houfe, 

who  was  in  a  declining  way,  and  had  taken  a  great  quitfl- 

tity  of  physio  before  he  came,  which  would  not  operate. 

On  takmg  my  medicine,  as  soon  as  he  began  to  be  warm, 

13* 


* 


150 


Jfarraiive  of  the  UJt^  ^e. 


80  aa  to  cause  motion  in  bif  boweli,  the  phjrtio  he  had 
before  taken  operated,  and  run  hUn  down  with  a  relax; 
then  the  dysenterj  set  in,  and  he  lufflsred  much  with 

5ain,  and  had  dischtfr^es  of  blood.  I  gave  Mr.  Smith 
irections  to  use  injections,  to  dear  hii  bowels  of  canker, 
and  prevent  mortification;  but  he  neglected  it  until  I 
had  told  him  three  days  in  succesiion.  He  then  got 
alarmed  and  sent  for  me;  but  before  I  arrived  he  had 
given  an  injection,  which  had  relieved  the  patient.  He 
remained  and  was  attended  about  three  weeKS,  and  went 
home  in  a  comfortable  state  of  health.  This  man  paid 
Mr.  Smith  about  thirty  dollars. 

About  the  same  time,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jennings 
applied  to  Mr.  Smith,  who  had  lost  the  use  of  one  of  his 
arms  by  the  rheumatism.  He  had  been  attended  by  the 
doctor  for  nine  months,  and  had  been  given  over  by  him 
as  incurable.  His  arm  was  perished,  and  he  was  in  poor 
circumstances,  having  paid  all  he  had  to  the  doctor;  he 
wanted  relief,  but  sail  he  could  pay  nothing  for  it  unless 
he  was  cured,  so  that  he  could  earn  something  by  his 
Imbor.  Mr.  Smith  asked  me  if  I  was  willinff  to  astiet  to 
cure  him  on  these  terms,  to  which  I  agreed.  We  car- 
rijpd  him  through  a  course  of  the  mediome  and  steaming 
tf^ice  or  three  times  a  week  for  four  weeks,  when  a  cure 
>#a8  effected.  The  last  time  he  was  carried  through 
was  on  election  day,  and  he  expressed  a  wish  to  go  on 
the  common  in  the  afternoon,  to  which  I  gave  encour- 
agement. The  medicine  was  done  about  ten  o'clock; 
he  was  then  steamed  and  washed  all  over  with  pepper- 
sauce.  He  complained  bitterly  of  the  heat  and  threw 
himself  on  the  bed;  I  took  a  spoonflil  of  good  cayenne, 
and  put  in  two  spoonfuls  of  pepper-sauce,  and  gave  it  to 
him  to  take.  This  raised  the  inward  heat  so  much  above 
the  outward,  that  in  two  minutes  he  was  quite  comforta- 
Ue;  and  in  the  afternoon  he  went  on  the  common.  His 
ann  was  restored,  and  he  was  well  firom  that  time;  he 
afterwards,  as  I  have  been  informed,  piud  Mr.  Smith 
forty  dollars  for  the  cure. 

A  Mrs.  Burleigh  came  to  his  house  about  this  time, 
wllo  had  the  rheumatism  very  badly,  io  that  her  joints 
wwe  grown  out  of  place;  and  I  aiiiited  in  attending 
her.    She  had  never  taken  much  ntdidne,  which  made 


it  the  e 

remove 

of  \  ^isc 

apply  f( 

was  car 

steamed 

medicint 

spiration 

ral  circu 

as  is  the 

that  the 

where  tl 

washed, 

her  comf 

Some  ( 

that  was 

and  of  w 

and  mov( 

She  had 

utmost  CO 

proved  h( 

over  him. 

ticulars  oi 

make  his 

boarded  \ 

contained 

notes  to  1 

made  stric 

but  have 

tents  to  th 

think  of  I 

lose  it,  e: 

night  and 

ecTa  yromt 

coat  off,  \ 

it  could  I 

persons  pi 

wife,  and 

at  the  time 

Smith,  he 

dishonest. 

introduced 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


151 


te  had 
relax; 
\  with 
Smith 
anker, 
until  I 
en  got 
ne  had 
t.  He 
d  went 
in  paid 

mninj^s  \ 
)  of  his 
by  the 
by  him 
in  poor 
tor;  he 
t  unless 
;  by  his 

IB^lAt  to 

Ve  car- 
e  anting 

a  cure 
ihroiiph 

go  on 
encour- 
'clock; 
pepper- 

tnrew 


iime, 

joints 

[ending 

made 


it  the  easier  to  cure  her,  as  we  had  nothing  to  do  but 
remove  the  disease,  without  having  to  clear  the  system 
of  \  >i8cnous  dru^s,  as  is  the  case  in  most  of  those  who 
apply  for  relief  m  complaints  of  long  standing.  She 
was  carried  through  the  medicine  several  times  and 
steamed;  the  last  time  I  attended  her,  and  gave  the 
medicine  three  times  as  usual,  which  raised  a  lively  per- 
spiration and  a  fresh  color,  showing  an  equal  and  natu-r 
ral  circulation;  but  did  not  sicken  or  cause  her  to  vomit, 
as  is  the  case  most  generally.  I  mention  this  to  show 
that  the  emetic  qualities  of  the  medicine  will  not  operate 
where  there  is  no  disease.  She  was  theQ  steamed  and 
washed,  and  went  out  of  doors,  being  entirely  cured  of 
her  complaint. 

Some  time  the  last  of  April,  or  first  of  May,  a  woman 
that  was  a  relation,  of  the  nurse,  who  assisted  Mr.  Smith, 
and  of  whom  I  have  before  spoken,  hired  a  room  of  him 
and  moved  into  his  house,  and  the  nurse  lived  w*th  her. 
She  had  more  experience  than  he  had ;  I  had  put  the 
utmost  confidence  m  her,  and  shs  had  in  many  instances 
proved  her  superiority  in  a  knowledge  of  the  practice 
over  him.  A  singular  circumstance  took  place,  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  1  shall  relate,  and  leave  the  reader  to 
make  his  own  inferences.  Some  time  in  May,  while  I 
boarded  with  Mr  Smith,  I  lost  my  pocket-book,  which 
contained  upwards  of  thirty  dollars  in  bank  bills,  and 
notes  to  the  amount  of  about  five  hundred  dollars.  I 
made  strict  search  for  it,  and  advertised  it  in  the  papers, 
but  have  never  gained  any  information  of  it  or  the  con- 
tents to  this  day.  It  was  in  my  coat  pocket,  and  I  could 
think  of  no  way  in  which  I  had  been  exposed,  or  could 
lose  it,  except  in  his  house.  I  lost  it  between  Friday 
nisht  and  Monday  morning,  during  which  time  I  attand- 
eaa  woman  in  his  chamber,  and  several  times  had  my 
coat  off,  which  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  only  time  that 
it  could  be  takeU,  or  that  I  could  lose  it.  The  only 
persons  present  in  the  room,  were  Mr.  Smith  and  his 
wife,  and  the  nurse ;  I  had  no  suspicions  of  any  person 
at  the  time.  About'ten  days  after,  being  alone  with  Mr. 
Smith,  he  asked  me  if  I  ever  mistrusted  the  nurse  being 
dishonest.  I  told  him  no,  for  if  I  had  I  should  not  have 
introduced  her  as  a  nurse.    He  then  said  that  there  had 


15S 


JVctrro^ve  of  the  lAfe,  8fe. 


been  a  number  of  thefts  committed  since  ihe  bad  been  in 
the  house,  both  from  him  and  other  people,  and  named 
the  articles  and  circumstances.  He  further  Raid,  that 
the  girl  who  lived  with  him  had  said  that  the  thought 
the  nurse  was  as  likely  to  take  mv  pocket-book  M  to 
take  the  things  she  had  undoubtedly  stolen.  The  cir- 
cumstances which  he  related,  and  the  interest  he  seemed 
to  tiike  in  my  loss,  convinced  rae  beyond  a  doubt  that 
this  woman  had  taken  my  property.  During  this  con- 
versation with  him,  he  said  that  if  she  did  not  move  out 
of  the  house  he  would.  The  consequence  was  that  the 
family  moved  out  of  his  house,  and  I  dismissed  the  nurse 
fVom  having  any  more  to  do  with  mv  practice.  Since 
Mr.  Smith  has  taken  to  himself  the  lead  in  my  system 
of  practice,  he  has  acknowledged  that  he  has  become 
convinced  beyond  a.  doubt  that  this  woman  was  not  suil- 
ty  of  taking  the  things  which  she  had  been  accused  of; 
without  assigning  any  reason,  as  I  have  been  able  to 
learn,  for  his  havmg  altered  his  opinion. 

During  the  time  the  above  circumstances  happened, 
his  son  Ira  came  home,  after  being  absent  about  four 
years;  but  was  not  treated  with  that  aflPection  a  child  ex- 
pects to  receive  in  a  father's  house,  he  was  sent  off  to 
seek  lodgings  where  he  could.  About  twelve  o'clock  he 
returned,  not  being  able  to  obtain  lodgings,  and  called 
Up  a  young  man  who  boarded  with  Mr.  Smith,  made  a 
bitter  complaint,  on  account  of  the  treatment  he  received 
from  his  father,  which  he  attributed  to  be  owing  to  the 
influence  of  his  mother-in-law;  he  took  a  phial  and  drank 
flrom  it,  and  soon  after  fell  on  the  floor.  The  young 
m&n  being  alarmed,  awaked  his  father  and  informed  him 
of  the  circumstance;  before  he  got  to  his  son  he  was 
senseless,  and  stifl*  in  every  joint.  I  was  in  bed  in  the 
house,  and  Mr.  Smith  came  immediately  to  me,  and  re- 
quested my  assistance,  said  that  he  expected  Ira  had 
killed  himself.  He  showed  rne  the  phial  and  asked  what 
had  been  in  it;  I  told  him  it  had  contained  laudanum. 
I  got  up  as  soon  as  possible,  and  on  going  down,,  met 
Mr.  Smith  "anrl  the  young  man  bringing  Ira  up  stairs.  1 
directed  them  to  lay  him  on  the  hearth,  and  took  a  bottle 
from  my  pocket,  w6ich  cc^ntained  a  strong  preparation 
of  Nra.  1,  S,  and  6;  took  his  head  between  my  knees, 


t 


his  jawa 
and  tee 
bottle; 
his  jaws 
in  five 
hour  he 
next  da)i 
seemed 
took  hin 
as  an  as 
arrived 
and  he 
all  perso 
abeient  fa 
house,  ai 
manner  a 
but  was  c 
staid  in  i 
quence, 
his  fathe 
quantity 
ment  sen 
he  died. 

The  m 

the  corpe 

heard  it, 

fore  he  d 

**  I  once 

life  when 

hand  on  I 

my  pock< 

home,  no; 

notice  in 

town,  Ira 

After  Ii 

Mrs.  Smit 

dead,  she 

turned,  ai 

dium  of  £ 

Canada. 

as  Ira  sa 

father  see: 


Of  Samvel  Tluniuon. 


153 


teen  in 
named 
d,  thit 
bought 
c  AM  to   ^ 
*he  clr- 
leeined 
ibt  thiit 
iit  con- 
9ve  out 
hat  the 
le  nurte 
Since  ^ 

eyatem 
become 
lot  guil- 
wed  of; 

able  to 

ippened, 
out  four 
:hild  ex- 
it off  to 
clock  he 
called 
made  a 
received 

g  to  1^® 
d  drank 

young 
ned  him 
he  wa« 
d  in  the 

and  re- 
Ira  had 
led  what 
idanum. 
Bvn,  met 
tairi.    1 

a  bottle 

Iparatien 

kneet, 


his  jaws  being  set,  and  put  my  finger  between  his  cheek 
and  teeth,  and  poured  in  some  of  the  medicine  from  the 
bottle;  as  soon  as  it  reached  the  glands  of  his  throat, 
his  jaws  became  loosened,  and  he  swallowed  some  of  it ; 
in  five  minutes  he  vomited;  in  ten  he  spoke;  in  one 
hour  he  was  clear  of  the  efTects  of  the  opium,  and  the 
next  day  was  well.  After  this  the  affection  of  the  father 
seemed  in  some  measure  to  return;  he  clothed  him, 
took  him  to  Taunton,  and  introduced  him  into  practice 
as  an  assistant.  He  did  very  well  till  his  mother-in-law 
arrived  there,  when  a  difficulty  took  place  between  them, 
and  he  went  off.  rlis  father  advertised  him,  forbidding 
all  persons  from  trusting  him  on  his  account.  He  was 
abaent  four  years,  when  he  returned  again  to  his  father's 
house,  and  was  received  in  the  same  cold  and  unfeeling 
manner  as  before,  was  not  allowed  to  stay  in  the  house, 
but  was  obliged  to  seek  an  asylum  among  strangers.  He 
staid  in  town  several  days;  became  dejected,  in  conse- 
quence, as  he  said,  of  the  treatment  he  had  met  with  at 
his  father's  house,  ^ent  over  to  Charlestown,  took  a 
quantity  of  laudanum,  and  was  found  near  the  rnonu* 
ment  senseless;  was  carried  to  the  alms-house,  where 
he  died. 

The  morning  after  he  died,  his  father  came  to  see 
the  corpse,  and,  as  I  was  informed  by  a  person  who 
heard  it,  said  that  if  he  had  been  present  one  hour  be- 
fore he  died  he  could  have  saved  his  life ;  for,  said  he, 
**  I  once  administered  medicine  to  him  and  saved  his 
life  when  he  had  taken  a  similar  dose,"  and,  putting  his 
hand  on  his  pocket,  said,  "I  always  carry  medicine  in 
my  pocket  for  that  purpose."  He  neither  took  him 
home,  noi  put  in  the  paper  the  cause  of  his  death.  The 
notice  in  the  paper  was,  "Died  suddenly,  in  Charles- 
town,  Ira  Smith,  son  of  £lids  Smith,  Boston." 

After  Ira  went  §,way  the  last  time,  I  frequently  heard 
Mrs.  Smith  say  that  if  she  could  only  hear  that  Ira  was 
dead,  she  should  be  satisfied.  The  season  before  he  re- 
turned, an  account  of  his  death  appeared  in  the  Palla- 
dium of  Boston,  stating  that  Ira  Smith  died  in  Upper 
Canada.  How  this  account  originated  is  yell  unknown, 
as  Ira  said  he  had  never  been  there.  However,  his 
father  seemed  to  make  great  lamentation  at  this  unfor- 


■    M 


* 


a 


164 


Mhmaive  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc. 


4 


tunate  newi,  and  mentioned  it  in  one  of  his  sermons  in 
Clark  Street.  In  the  spring  following  I  saw  Ira  in  New 
York,  and  informed  Mr.  Smith's  family  that  I  had  seen 
hirn,  but  he  did  not  proclaim  it  in  the  meeting  as  he  did 
the  news  of  his  death.  Neither  did  he  exclaim,  in  the 
words  of  an  ancient  father  of  a  prodigal,  "My  son  who 
was  dead,  is  alive,  and  who  was  lost,  is  found." 

In  June  following  Ira  came  to  me,  instead  of  going  to 
his  father's  house.  I  found  him  lodging  two  nights, 
and  then  got  him  into  business  in  Col.  House's  printing 
office,  where  he  worked  some  days  before  he  went  to  his 
father's  house.  When  calling  there  to  see  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  he  said  something  took  place  betwee^i  him 
and  his  step-mother,  which  so  disgusted  him  that  he 
threatened  before  the  workmen  in  the  office  to  destroy 
his  own  life.  They  laughed  at  his  pretensions,  but  he 
insisted  on  doing  the 'deed,  which  he  did  in  a  few  days 
after,  and  thus  ended  this  disgraceful  tragedy. 

I  continued  with  Mr.  Smith,  as^as  been  before  men- 
tioned, giving  him  instructioti,  till  the  first  of  June,  when 
I  appointed  him  agent,  with  authority  to  sell  family 
rights  and  medicine.  An  agreement  was  drawn  up  and 
signed  by  both  parties,  in  which  it  was  stipulated,  that 
I  WAK  to  furnish  him  with  medicine,  and  allow  him  twen- 
ty-five per  cent,  for  selling ;  and  he  was  to  have  fifty  per 
cent,  for  all  the  rights  he  sold ;  which  was  ten  dollars  for 
(Bach  right,  for  givrng  the  necessary  information  to  those 
who  purchased,  and  collecting  the  pay.  His  principal 
dependence  at  this  time  was  upon  me  and  the  practice, 
for  his  support.  He  paid  me  one  half  of  what  he  re- 
ceived for  lamily  rights  as  he  sold  them.  The  first  of 
July,  I  contemplated  going  home  to  get  my  hay;  but 
Mrs.  Smith  expecting  to  be  confined  soon,  was  very 
urgent  that  I  should  stay  till  after  she  was  sick,  which 
detained  me  three  weeks.  I  staid  accordingly,  and  at- 
tended her  through  her  sickness,  for  which  they  gave 
me  great  credit  and  praise  at  the  time.  I  then  went 
home  to  attend  to  my  rarm  and  get  my  hay;  after  which 
I  returned  to  Boston,  and  in  the  fall  went  to  Cape  Cod, 
to  attend  to  some  business  there,  and  on  my  return  to 
Boston,  I  found  Mr.  Smith's  youngest  child  sick  with 
the  quinsy,  or  rattles;  he  had  done  all  he  could,  and 


given 
Uie  chj 
physic, 
ment  o 
someth 
in  givii; 
ever'gi 
They  o 
I  told  th 
for  it  w 
contest. 
I  beg{ 
violent  i 
which  it 
mouth;  t 
3,  to  stai 
gave  reli 
of  the  gi 
of  its  stu 
which  mc 
morning  i 
they  were 
tion  best, 
the  child:  i 
would  be 
their  care 
day  about 
up  to  die; 
not  swallo 
pense  whe 
told  the  fa 
would  not 
took  some 
except  abc 
several  of 
in  canker 
rinsing  it 
again,  putt 
caused  it  t 
down  beloi 
then  rinsed 
swallow,  gi 


Of  Samml  Tlum»an, 


165 


one  in 
n  New 
d  seen 
he  did 
in  the 
on  who 

;oing  to 

nignts, 
printing 
nt  to  his 
brothers 
ee^»  him 

that  he 

destrcy 
,  but  he 
few  days 

ore  men- 
ne,  when 
■U  family 
|n  up  and 
Lted,  that 
lim  twen- 
fifty  per 
[oUars  for 
to  those 
principal 
practice, 
it  he  re- 
first  of 
lay;  but 
as  very 
,  which 
and  at- 
ley  gave 
len  went 
jr  which 
[pe  Cod, 
return  to 
ick  with 
lid,  and 


given  it  over  to  die.  The  women  bad  taken  ohtrge  of 
the  child,  after  he  had  given  it  up,  and  had  given  it  tome 
physic.  When  I  saw  the  child  1  gave  some  enuourage- 
ment  of  a  cure,  and  they  were  very  deiiroat  for  me  to  do 
something  for  it.  I  told  them  they  had  done  very  wrong 
in  giving  physic,  for  it  was  strictly  against  my  ordera  to 
ever  give  any  physic,  in  cases  where  there  was  canker. 
They  observed  that  there  was  no  appearance  of  canker. 
I  told  them  it  would  never  appear  when  they  gave  pliviio, 
for  it  would  remain  inside,  till  mor^liication  decidoa  the 
contest. 

I  began  with  the  child  by  giving  No.  S,  r'i'foh  caused 
violent  struggles  and  aroused  it  from  the  ttiipio  2*Me  in 
which  it  had  lain,  until  the  moisture  afipeared  in  the 
mouth;  then  gave  some  No.  3,  steeped,  t\nd  Nof.  1  and 
2,  to  start  the  canker,  and  cause  it  to  vomit.  This  soon 
gave  relief.  The  women  who  were  present,  accused  me 
of  the  greatest  cruelty,  because  I  brought  tlie  child  out 
of  its  stupid  state,  and  restored  its  sense  of  feeling,  by 
which  means  the  life  *f  the  child  was  saved.  The  next 
morning  its  mouth  was  as  white  as  paper  with  canker; 
they  were  then  all  satisfied  that  I  knew  the  child's  iitua^ 
tion  best,  and  that  I  had  saved  its  life.  I  ooniiderod 
the  child  so  much  relieved,  that  thfi  father  and  mother 
would  be  able  to  restore  it  to  perfect  health,  left  it  in 
their  care  and  went  out  of  town.  I  returned  the  next 
day  about  upon,  and  found  that  tLey  had  again  given  it 
up  to  die;  its  throat  was  so  filled  with  canker  that  it  had 
not  swallowed  any  thing  for  four  hours.  I  waa  in  sus- 
pense whether  to  do  any  thing  for  the  child  or  not ;  but 
told  the  father  and  mother  I  thought  if  it  was  mine,  I 
would  not. give  it  up  yet;  they  wished  me  to  try.  I 
took  some  small  quills  from  a  win^,  and  stripped  them, 
except  about  three  quarters  of  an  mch  at  the  point,  tied 
several  of  them  together,  which  made  a  swab,  dipped  it 
in  canker  tea,  and  began  by  washing  the  mouth;  then 
rinsing  it  with  cold  water;  then  washed  with  the  tea 
again,  putting  the  swab  down  lower  in  the  throat  which 
caused  it  to  gag,  and  while  the  throat  was  open,  put  it 
down  below  the  swallow,  and  took  off  scales  of  canker, 
then  rinsed  again  with  cold  water.  Soon  as  it  could 
swallow,  gave  some  tea  of  No.  2,  a  tea  epoonAil  at  a 


156 


^arratwe  of  ike  lAfit  ^e. 


time,  and  it  soon  began  to  struggle  for  breath,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  in  great  distress,  similar  to  a  drowned  per^ 
son  coming  to  lite.  In  its  struggling  for  breath  discharg- 
ed considerable  phlegm  from  its  nose  and  mouth ;  i  then 
gave  some  more  of  the  emetic  with  canker  tea,  which 
operated  favorably ;  in  two  hours  it  was  able  to  nurse, 
and  it  soon  got  well,  to^  the  great  joy  of  the  father  and 
mother,  who  said  that  the  life  of  the  child  was  saved  by 
my  perseverance. 

Soon  after  this  child  got  well,  which  was  in  the  fall  of 
the  year  1817,  Mr.  Smith  moved  to  Taunton.  Previous 
to  his  removal,  a  man  from  that  place  by  the  name  o( 
Eddy,  applied  to  him  to  be  cured  of  a  bad  humor, 
caused  by  taking  mercury.  I  assisted  in  attending  upon 
him  part  of  the  time.  Mr.  Smith  began  with  him,  and 
on  the  turn  of  the  disorder,  the  man  and  he  got  fright- 
ened and  sent  for  me.  He  had  been  kept  as  hot  as  he 
could  bear,  with  the  medicine,  for  six  hours,  which  in- 
creased the  heat  of  the  body  sufBjcient  to  overpower  the 
cold,  the  heat  tum'^d  inward  tiira  drove  the  cold  on  the 
outside ;  this  produces  such  a  sudden  change  in  the  whole 
system,  that  a  person  unacquainted  with  the  practice 
would  suppose  they  were  dy mg ;  but  there  is  no  danger 
to  be  apprehended,  if  proper  measures  are  taken  and 
persevered  in  by  keeping  up  the  inward  heat.  In  such 
cases  steaming  is  almost  inaispensable ;  for  which  reason 
I  have  been  obliged  to  steam  the  patient  in  most  cases 
where  the  complaint  has  been  of  long  standing,  especial- 
ly when  much  mercury  has  been  taken,  as  nothine  will 
make  it  active  but  heat.  This  man  soon  got  wen  and 
returned  home. 

I  furnished  Mr.  Smith  with  a  stock  of  medicine,  and 
in  the  winter  paid  him  a  visit,  found  him  in  full  practice, 
and  Mr.  Eddy  assisting  him.  I  carried  with  me  a  quan- 
tity of  medicine,  renewed  his  stock,  and  stoi'ed  the  re- 
mainder with  him.  He  had  sold  several  rights,  and  was 
very  successful  in  his  practice,  which  caused  great  alarm 
among  the  doctors;  they  circulated  all  kindr  of  false 
and  ridiculous  reports  about  his  practice,  to  break  him 
up;  but  not  succeeding,  they  raised  a  mob,  and  twice 
broke  open  Mr.  Smith's  house,  in  his  abaenoe,  and  fright- 
ened his  family. 


Of  Samvul  T%omion. 


151 


Id  the  spring  of  this  year,  Mr.  Smith  moved  to  Scituate, 
to  preach  there  and  attend  to  practice;  and  the  medi- 
cine left  with  him,  I  consigned  to  Mr.  Eddy,  by  his  re- 
commendation. The  amount  of  the  medicine  was  about 
one  hundred  dollars j  and  1  sent  him  a  note  for  twenty 
dollars,  which  he  collected,  and  afterwards  went  off,  and 
I  lost  the  whole  amount.  Duimg  this  season  1  went  to 
Plymouth  to  visit  some  there  who  had  bought  family 
rights,  and  returned  by  the  way  of  Scituate,  in  order  to 
visit  Mr.  Smith,  look  over  his  books,  and  have  some  set- 
tlement with  him.  I  had  let  him  have  medicine  as  he 
wanted  it,  trusting  him  to  give  me  credit  for  what  he 
sold  or  used.  I  think  he  had  given  me  credit,  so  that 
the  balance  due  me  at  this  time,  for  what  he  had,  was 
four  hundred  dollars.  He  was  unable  to  pay  me  any 
thing,  and  I  returned  to  Boston. 

Mr.  Smith  afterwards  removed  his  family  to  Boston, 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1818,  he  said  that  he  was  not 
able  to  pay  me  anyj^ney,  but  he  would  let  me  have 
such  ^ings  as  he  of^^^are.  I  was  disposed  to  be  as 
favorable  towards  him  as  I  cduld,  and  took  what  he 
chose  to  offer  at  his  own  price.  He  let  me  have  two  old 
watches  at  one  Hundred  dollars; .and  an  old  mare  at 
eighty,  which  was  for  medicine  at  cash  prices.  I  gave 
him  all  the  chance  of  selling  rights  and  medicine,  in 
hopes  that  he  would  be  able  to  do  better  by  me.  I  oKMI 
had  requested  him  to  deliver  lectures  on  my  system  6f 
practice,  as  this  had  been  a  favorite  object  with  me  in 
appointing  him  agent ;  but  never  could  prevail  with  him 
to  do  any  thing  in  that  way.  Another  important  ar- 
rangement I  had  made  with  him  was,  that  he  was  ttf 
assist  me  in  preparing  for  the  press,  a  work  to  contain  a 
narrative  of  my  life,  and  a  complete  description  of  my 
whole  system.  I  haa  written  it  in  the  best  manner  I 
could,  and  depended  on  him  to  copy  it  off  and  prepare  it 
in  a  correct  manner  to  be  printed;  but  he  put  me.  off 
from  time  to  time,  and  was  never  ready  to  attend  to  it. 
All  this  time  I  never  had  any  suspicion  of  his  having  a 
designate  wrong  me,  by  usurping  the  whole  lead  of  the 
business,  and  turning  every  thing  to  his  own  advantage. 

I  continued  to  keep  medicine  at  his  house,  which  hvi 
had  firee  access  to,  and  took  it  when  he  pleased,  giving ' 
14 


158 


A*arrafive  0/  Ae  Liftf  ije. 


me  credit  for  it  accordins  to  his  honeity.  There  wi« 
two  or  three  thousand  dollars  worth  at  a  time,  in  the 
house.  He  charged  me  three  dollars  per  week  for  board, 
for  all  the  time  I  was  at  his  house,  aAer  he  returned 
from  the  country ;  and  he  had  given  me  credit  for  only 
eighty  dollars  for  medicine  the  year  past.  On  a  settle- 
ment with  him  at  this  time,  1819,  he  owed  me  about 
four  hundred  dollars;  I  asked  him  for  a  due  bill  for  the 
balance,  but  he  refused  to  give  one;  and  said  that  Mr. 
£ddy  had  received  two  hundred  dollars  worth  of  the 
medicine,  for  which  he  had  received  nothing,  and  he 
ought  not  to  pay  for  it.  I  agreed  to  lose  one  half  of  it, 
and  allowed  one  hundred  dollars,  the  same  as  if  I  had 
received  cash  of  him.  I  took  a  memorandum  from  his 
book  of  what  was  due  me,  which  was  all  I  had  for  securi- 
ty. In  the  fall  of  the  year  1820,  I  had  another  settle- 
ment with  Mr.  Smith,  and  he  owed  me  about  four  hun- 
dred dollars,  having  received  no  money  of  him  the  year 
East.  He  told  me  that  all  the  property  he  had  was  a 
orse  and  chaise,  and  that  if  I  did  not  have  it,  some- 
body else  would.  I  took  the  horse  and  chaise  at  three 
hundred  dollars,  and  the  hundred  dollars  I  agreed  to 
allow  on  Mr.  Eddy's  account,  made  us,  according  to  his 
accounts,  about  square,  as  to  the  medicine  he  had  given 
me  credit  for.  He  made  out  a  statement  of  fifty-seven 
failkily  rights  that  he  had  sold  at  twenty  dollars  each, 
twenty-three  of  which  he  had  never  paid  me  any  thing 
for;  his  plea  for  not  paying  me  for  them  was,  that  he  had 
not  received  his  pay  of  those  who  had  bought  them.  His 
agreement  with  me  was,  that  he  should  account  to  me 
for  ten  dollars,  for  each  right  sold,  and  he  was  to  have 
ten  dollars  each  for  collecting  the  money,  and  giving  the 
necessary  information  to  the  purchasers. 

In  the  winter  of  1819,  I  went  to  Philadelphia,  and 
previous  to  my  going  made  arrangements  with  Mr.  Smith 
to  publish  a  new  edition  of  my  book  of  directions;  we 
revised  the  former  edition,  and  made  such  additions  as 
■we  thought  would  be  necessary  to  give  a  complete  and 
full  description  of  my  system,  and  the  manner  of  pre- 
paring and  using  the  medicine;  and  I  directed  him  to 
secure  the  copy-right  according  to  law.  I  left  the  whole 
care  with  him,  to  arrange  the  matter,  and  have  it  print- 


•4.    On 

done;  bu 

.  he  had  |( 

fn«  rema 

'  iiiftorreoti 

of  thiiTa 

«nd  the 

idea  at  tJ 

pamphlet 

quent  cor 

vious  to  I 

system  of 

vantage;  ; 

lie,  that  K 

forward  tli 

own  ifispe 

proof,  thai 

coveries,  i 

tion  in  an 

practice  ui 

«  well  kn 

parts  of  th 

tion«  to  all 
Another 
8908  to  sh 
It.    iFIe  de 
paitfpMeti 
the  name  c 
he  printed 
and  propri( 
lishing  a  fa 
but  leave  tl 
taken  awa; 
claimed  urn 
ually  to  sut 
From  that 
ed  his  attei 
DKkUbine., 

cwe,jmd\i 
of  the  rhei 


Of  Samiet  Vumuim. 


169 


«4.    On  mr  return  to  Boiton  in  March,  he  had  got  it 

dote;  but  m  a  manner  very  unsati8fa<^ory  to  me,  for 

^  he  had  left  out  twelve  pagipi  of  the  moat  useful  part  of 

'  the  remark!  and  dtrectiona.  add  it  was  otherwiae  rilty 

'  iiiorreiptly  and  badly  printed.    I  asked  hiyn  the  reason 

of  this,  and  he  said  a  part  of  the  copir  had  got  mislaid, 

and  the  printer  had  not  done  his  work  well.     I  had  no 


idea  at  tbe  time,  that  he  had  any  design  in  h>\ying 
pamphlet  printed  in  the  manner  it  was;  bui  his  subse- 
quent conduct  would  justify  the  belief  that  he  had  ptv^ 
vious  to  this,  formed  a  plan  to  usurp  the  whole  nf  n,i 
system  of  practice,  and  turn  every  thing  to  hiS  own  a* 
vantage;  for  he  has  since  attempted  to  satisfy  the  pub- 
lic, that  my  system  was  no  system;  and  has  broulrht 
forward  this  very  book,  which  was  printed  under  nm 
own  ipspectibn,  and  arranged  by  him,  as  a  part  f  i  l^s 
proof,  that  I  was  incapable  of  managing  my  owi.  dik- 
coveries,  and  of  communicating  the  necessary  informap 
tion  in  an  intelligible  manner  to  make  my  system  of 
practice  useful  to  those  who  purchased  the  rights,  jfeia 
a  well  known  fact,  that  soi||e  of  the  most*  essilmipi 
parts  of  the  directions  were  to  be  verbal:  and^I  ha>I ..!»' 
h}w«<l  him  ten  aolUiw  ••^,  to  civo  the^roper  instruc- 
tion* to  all  those  to  whom  qe  sold  the  rights. 

Another  circumstance  thet  I  have  recently  (bund  ouft, 
^pes  to  show  a  dishonesty  in  desian,  to  say  the  leuiiteof 
it.  Iff  e  deposited  the  title  pi^  o^the  above  Kpcn|i^ed 
pariEpMeti  and  obtained  a  certificate  ii.:^  the  clerk,  in 
the  name  of  Elias  Smith,  m  proprietor.  :  ui  caused  it  to 
be  printed  in  the  name  of  Samuel  Thomson,  as  author 
and  proprietor.  What  his  intentions  were  in  thus  pub- 
lishing a  false  certificate,  I  shall  p  >i  attempt  te  explain; 
but  leave  the  reader  to  judge  for  himself.  If  I  had  been 
taken  away,  he  possibly,  might  have  come  forward  and 
claimed  under  it  a  right  to  all  my  discoveries,  and  events 
ually  to  substitute  himself  in  my  place  as  sole  proprietor. 
From  that  time  he  neglected  the  sale  of  rights,  and  tj^m- 
ed  hjtf  attent^  mostly  to  practice  and  preparin||^fik0wn 
midioine.;,  I)uring  the  summer  of  1830,  be/eipiieyed 
Mr.  P^arl|m  to  assist  him  in  practice,  and  prepfr^edi- 
cine,  and  wnile  with  him  he  prepared  thirty-!eqnit'%bttles 
of  the  rheumatic  drops,  which  by  agreemeill^w  #as  to 


■^: 


'*■■ 


It 


160 


AarrottM  «/  the  Ufe^  ^e. 


3# 


,|iave  of  me^  he  i^lso  directed  hi|n  ic:  tike  t)^  material 
from  my ^tock,  which  y/u»  iathe  bouse jf^aivd  fHoofiare 
twenty-five  poQiids  of  Qonmpj^tioii,  and  thifeniaB  kept  • 
aicretfrom  me.  The  i^^iike  ajkyeUt.  Dlrling  fblr^ 
not  having  ipditine  of  iltie^  m<k0*Swg  to  hif  iti(i|i:«i«|it,^ 
wa«,  that  be  ow^  me  tso  much  aow  tb^t  he  yfia  afraid 
he  should  never  be  ld>le  to  pay  me.    I  thought  his  tak- 

^ijlgthe  preparjing  of  as  well  as  the  selling  of  my  medicine 
to  himself,  was  a  very,  singular  way  to  pay  an  old  debt. 

In  May,  1820,  Mr.  Smith  collected  together  those  in 
Boston  who  had  bought  rights  of  me  or  my  agents,  and 

Jfoplbd  them  into  a  society,  under  a  new  name;  he  wrote 
9.  constitution,  which  they  signed ;  an,d  the  members  paid 
09fi  dollar  entrance,  and  were  to  pay  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  per  month  assessment,  for  which  he  promised  them 
important  instructions  and  cheap  medicinel  He  was  ap- 
jpotnted  president  and  treasurer,  and  after  he  had 'obtain' 
i^d  th^ir  money,  the  meetings  were  discontinued,  and  the 
Society  Was  broken  up  in  the  course  of  nine  months.  In 
th^he  appeafi^  to  have  taken  the  lead  of  all  those  wha 
iMpN^urdiased  the  right  fif  me^  and  make  them  tributary 

.fi^self.  ^  * 

'  wrlf»flPml5#!j  %  teturnftil  from  fhft  finntw^yy  -and  rnundt 
that  lie  had  advertised,  witilojit  my  knowledge  or;con- 
aaut,  in  the  Herald,  a  periodical  Work  published  by  him 
a^|\at  time,  "pro^sals  foir  publishing  by  subscription, 
a'^ok  to  contain  the  ^h^  of  the  system  and  practfce 
discof«ir|(i  by  Samum  Thomson,  and  seciH^ed  to  hirt  by 
mitent.  The  price  to  subscribers  to  be  five  dollars.  By 
Eliifin  Smith."  This  mostly  stopped  the  sale  of  rights, 
for  no  one  would  purchase  a  right  of  me  or  my  agents  at 
twenty  dol|ars,  when  they  had  the  promise  of  them  at 
five.  I  wbnt  to  him  to  know  what  he  meant  by  his  con- 
duct,^ In  issuipg  these  proposals;  he  plead  innocence, 
Und  aaid  he  had  no  improper  design  in  doing  it. 

I  was  now  under  the  necessity  of  doing  something  in 
order  to  counteract  what  had  been  done  by  Mr.  Sihith, 
in  |fti|#Bhing  the  above  proposals;  and  cidtie^to  the  de- 
teraj|i||^iditi  lo  isaue  new  proposals  for  pubushibg  Wjiar- 
rativ^p^^mjr  life  as  far  as  related  to  my  pi-acti^,  "witht  a 
coilli|dlie  'tdeicri|^|i  of  my  system  of  |>ra^cW  in  q.ujring 
disease,  wlul  |l|i^  miOMier  or  preparing  ^  usin^  the  med-^ 


r 


irfe 


Qf  Samuel  Thomson. 


161 


ling  in 

SKbith, 

le  de- 

nar- 

ICiUriDg 

med- 


icine secure^  to  ine  by  patent;  the  price  to  subscribera 
to  b6  tejn  dollars,  including  the  right  to  each  ^f  using  the 
same  for  limself  and  family.  Mr.  Smit^  under^|&,to 
write  th»  propoaids  and  get  them  printed ;  filer  th#^  were 
;  struck  off,  I  found  he  hiui  said  in  them,  by  Samuel  Thom- 
son and  Eliaa  Smith;  all  subscribera ta  be  refam^  to 
the  latter."  I  aaked  him  what  bemeant  by  putting  his  niime 
with  mine ;  he  said  in  order  to  gfft  more  subscriber*.'^  I 
said  no  ;more.  about  it  at  that  tmie,  and  let  them  be  dis- 
tributed. 

When  I  settled  with  him  the  last  tjme|>  I  asked  him 
what  he  woul4  charge  me  to  prepare  mj  manuscript  for 
the  prest; .  bjs  ;#aid  he  thought  we  were  to  write  it  to- 
gether; I  asl^ed  him  what  made  him  think  so;  he  said 
because  his  nam«^was  on  the  propowls  with  mine;  I  ad- 
mitted thus;  but  told  him  the  reasons  he  bad  as^i^d 
for  putting  his  i^ame^to  it  ^iftipfut  my  consent  or  knoirl- 
edge.  He  then  intunated  tliat  he  iho^ht  be  wiM  to  te 
a  partner  with  me;  I  ,iuri|;ed  him  whi;^  lilver  had  of  liim 
toi^eoAUle  hii^  |9  anJM|Uiil  flgl&lf  to  all  my  diibovi^ 

4  To  this  l|e  Hallleii^  tepljf ;  bnt  safd  he  would  write 
and  we  woutd^i|p[pi  i^a  |i  prici  #ft<BrwliHls.  I  ii 
him  no;  r]|  must  koov|il^ia priori,  firs^  He  said  hft  «ould 
not  tell  witbla  ift|  Idllars.  I  fhen  told  ymwttwoijdd 
say  no  more  |boii|  it.  ^kvk  odiiveraatiiDii,  together  with 
hisxonduct  iii  regird  to^tM  proposals,  fl|||p^ced  me  be- 
<yoiid  all  d<ip»t)  that  his  design.  ^^  ^o  destroy  me,  and 
'  take  the  xvwtflb  business,]^)  himself.  I  felt  onwiiling  to 
trust  him  any  Imnfer,  and  t^k  all  my  books  and  manu- 
scripts from  his  l^se.  His  sii^wequent  conduct  towards 
me  has  fully  juiimed  aU  my,iusmetOD%  and  left^m>  room 
for  a  doubt,  that  ^is  jp|ei|fkp|S^'ere  to  taker:  evei^  ad* 
vantage  of  me  J^his  power,  and  niJRsrp  my  whole  system 
of  practice.  '    ;.,.  *' 

jiy  l^stera  of  practice  and  the  credit  of  mv  medioine, 
wais  Qfver  in  a  more  pjros^rii^  condition,  uraa  when  I 
bugmi  with  Mr.  Smith,  to  insduct  him  in  a  knowledge  of 
ad  my  discoveries  i^experiemMi  in  curing  diseaseii  and 
^p^intisd  hini  mg^.    Thp.fij^fffA^f  wherever  it  became 

'"^Imlo^m,:  were  ifftr^  day  becommg  convinced  of  its  iitilH 
Ijr,  (iid  the  medioino  was  in  great  demand;  family  rights 
sold  readibf,  and  overy  thing  seemed  to  promise  eopiplote 


■* 


_.w 


4 


* 


16S 


MrratiiK  of  ihe  Ufe,  Sfc. 


success  ID  diffusing  a  general  knowledge  of  the  practice 
among  all  elasaes  of  the  people;  but  under  his  viiifoge- 
ment^  the  whole  of  my  plants  had  been  comitipracted, 
and  nqi^anticij^tions  in  a  great  measure  had  been  fru8> 
trated.  By  his  Conduct  towards  me,  in  his  attempt  to 
take"  the«lcad  of  the  practice  out  of  my  hands,  and  de> 
stroy  my  credit  with  the  piblic,  he  has  not  on^  been  a 
serious  loss  to  .me  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  but  the 
people  at  large  are  deprived  of  the  blessinj^s  tl|R^t  might 
be  derived  by  a  correct  knowledge  of  my  discoveries; 
and  hy  which ^hcy  might  have  it  in  their  power  to  relieve 
themselves  from^sickness  and  pain  with  a  trifling  expense,  , 
and  generations  yet  ui^m  be  greatly  beoii^tt^tHhereby.  ' 

I  tried  to  get  a  settlement  with  Mr  Smittt)  for  the  med- 
icine he  had  prepared  and  sold,  and  alfo  for  th«B  rights  he 
hadtfkot  accounted  to  me  fo|,  with  the  fuffairs  that  remain- 
ed^ unadjusted  hj^tweJBn  mt  but  could  not  get  him  to  do 
^y4lmkg  about  Jitf  and  floding  there  was  no  chance  of 
obtuninff  an  holM>rfl|)le  afBtUenNlili.  with  him,  about  the 
^0bi  February,  1821, 1  took  all  m^  midibine  frdrav^s 
h^usei  and  disc<y|lti^ued  aU  conneeti6n  dr  eoncern  with 
nui.  I  was  then,  ^^r  waatinlNbt^t  four  yeais  for  him 
to  assiet  me  in  writii|ff|^^which  wfs  ene  of  m|vgreate8t 
objects  In  ^peinting  nifn  egenty  dhltgeiS«to  publish  a 
pamphlet,  in  whieh  t  gWe  iMill  ef  t|i  p^pciples  upon 
wUch^n^  fljirtiiipwas  foundeil  wfHi  liplanations  and.  di- 
rections for  mjr  practwep  end  trisa  fH  not|||^%he  public 
thai  I  had  appointed  othei  ag||its,  and  dintion  all  per- 
80«B  gainst  trespassing  on  iM^  patent;  ^^ 

He  continued  to  pracHM  and  pre[Mi|, medicine,  bid- 
ding nie  db^anc%  I;jttadiuae|eral'^K  an 
honoMbte#ettlement^,v^h?1^n^thout  success.  I  em- 
ployed three  persone^to  go  to  him  and  <#er  to  settle  all 
our  difllculties  by  leaving  them  to  a  reference ;  but  he  re- 
fu8e#to  d^lny4hijig,  continued  to  trespass,  anv  n»^de 
use  "of  wmy  Means  to  Aeitroy  ray  charactef  by  ^usive 
and  Mho  reports  concerning  niy  condvet,  both'in  lpe|^d 
to  nw  praotiee  «nd  pipgate^chaiMer.  Findqig  t'  M  I 
could  get  no  redress  $nm  itioi)  I%ut  miMidir<Mip»  >a||)$ 
in  tiie  papers,  giving  notice  that  I  ha^^pctved^ir'  jmot 
all  authorwf  as, ny  agent;  and  cautionin|(e  the  pflblie 
if  ainU  receifing  any^  medicine  or  infoimatioa<lrom  him 


under  an] 
,  gence  in  t 
vertised  ii 
had  called 
do,  but  to 
and  broug 
patent,  to 
term,  182 
when  it  w 
8pecifioati( 
not  being 
In  conieq 
and  stop  ai 
make  out 
from  the  g 
Mr.  Smi 
he  has  gi\ 
preparing 
me  by  pato 
as  far  as  h( 
not  one  pi 
cept  what 
obtained  fr 
he  has  the 
discovery^ 
he  has  con 
made  8om( 
cine,  but 
tern."    Th 
to  all  thos 
that  I  shall 
true  that  h 
of  the  pre 
and  the  ma 
is  also  a  W( 
medicine, 
and  if  wha 
markable, 
drawn  all  t 
taken  upoi 
nothing  bu 
feet  projeo 


4>in>0f  Samuel  Thomson. 


163 


itnori 


under  any  autnbrity  of  mine.  He  redoubled  his  dili- 
gence in  treipatsing,  and  prepared  .the  medicine  and  ad- 
vertised it  for  sale  under  different  names  from  what  I 
had  called  it.  I  fouAd  there  was  no  other  way  for  me  to 
do,  but  to  appeal  to  the  laws  of  my  country  for  justice, 
and  brought  an  action  against  him  for  a  trespass  on  my 
patent,  to  be  tried  at  the  Circuit  Court,  at  the  October 
term,  1821.  The  action  was  continued  to  May  term, 
when  it  was  called  up,  and  the  Judge  decided  that  the 
specifications  in  my  patent  were  improperly  made  out, 
not  being  sufficiently  explicit  to  found  my  action  upon. 
In  consequence  of  which  I  had  to  become  non-suited, 
and  stop  all  further  proceedings  against  him,  till  I  could 
make  out  new  specifications  and  obtain  a  new  patent 
from  the  government. 

Mr.  Smith  has  lately  [1822]  published  a  book  in  which 
he  has  given  my  system  of  practice  with  directions  for 
preparing  and  using  the  vegetable  medicine  secured  to 
me  by  patont,  and  my  plan  of  treatment  in  curing  disease 
as  far  as  he  knew  it.  in  the  whole  of  this  work  th^re  is 
not  one  principle  laid  dohvn  or  one  idea  suggested,  ex- 
cept what  is  taaen  from  other  authors,  but  what  he  has 
obtained  from  my  written  or  verbal  instructions;  and  still 
he  has  the  ef!Vontory  to  publish  it  to  the  world  as  his  own 
discovery^  without  giving  me  any  credit  whatever,  except 
he  has  condescended  to  say  that  "  Samuel  Thomson  has 
made  some  imperfect  discoveries  of  disease  and  mldi- 
cine,  but  has  not  reduced  any  thing  to  a  regular  sys- 
tem." This  assertion  will  appear  so  perfectly  ridiculous 
to  all  those  who  have  any  knowledge  of  my  practice, 
that  I  shall  forbear  making  any  comment  upon  it.  It  is 
true  that  he  has  made  alterations  in  the  names  of  some 
of  the  preparajtions  of  medicine,  but  the  articles  used, 
and  the  manner  of  using  them,  are  the  same  as  mine.  It 
is  also  a  well  known  fact,  that  he  had  no  knowledge  of 
medicine,  or  of  curing  disease,  until  I  instructed  him; 
and  if  what  he  says  be  true,  the  effect  has  been  very  re- 
markable, in  as  m\ich  as  his  magnetical  attraction  has 
drawn  all  the  skill  from  me  to  himself,  by  which  he  has 
taken  upon  himself  the  title  of  Physician,  and  left  me 
nothing  but  the  appellation  of  Mr.  Thomson,  the  imper- 
fect projector. 


*. 


164 


AbrroHM  of  the  Lj/i,  Sfe. 


I  have  been  more  particular  in  dsicribing  Mr.  Smith's 
conduct,  because  it  has  been  an  important  crisis  in  the 
grand  plan  for  which  I  have  spent  a  great  part  of  my 
life,  and  suffered  much,  to  brin|  about;  that  of  estab- 
lishing a  system  of  medical  practice,  whereby  the  people 
of  this  highly  favored  country  may  have  a  knowledge 
of  the  means  by  which  they  can  at  all  times  relieve  them- 
selves from  the  diseases  incident  to  our  country,  by  a 
perfectly  safe  and  simple  treatment,  and  thereby  relieve 
themselves  from  a  heavy  expenie,  as  H^ll  ai  tne  often 
dangerous  consequences  arising  fVom  the  employing 
those  who  make  use  of  poisonoui  druffi  and  other  means, 
by  which  they  cause  more  disease  than  they  cure;  and 
in  which  I  consider  the  public  as  well  as  mvielf  have  a 
deep  interest.  I  have  endeavored  to  malce  a  correct 
and  faithful  statement  of  his  conduct,  and  the  treatment 
I  have  received  from  him;  every  particular  of  which 
can  be  substantiated  by  indisputable  testimony  if  neces- 
sary. I  now  appeal  to  the  public,  and  more  particularly 
to  a^  who  have  been  benefitted,  by  m^  diicoveries,  for 
their  aid  and  countenance,  in  lupporting  my  just  rights 
against  all  encroachments,  and  securing  to  me  my  claims 
to  whatever  of  merit  or  distinction  I  em  honorably  and 
justly  entitled.  While  I  assure  them  that  I  am  not  to 
be  discouraged  or  diverted  fttm  my  grand  object  by 
opposition,  or  the  dishonesty  of  tboie  who  deai  deceit- 
ful^ with  me;  but  shall  persevere  in  all  honorable  and 
fair  measures  to  accomplish  what  my  life  has  principally 
been  spent  in  fulfilling. 


Votl 

Since  i 
iome  circ 
relating ; 
an  accoui 
practice, 
present  tii 

Afler  h] 
prosecutin 
related,  I 
procedure, 
have  in  al 

foculty,  hii 

the  learne 

action  cou 

in  my  patt 

my  claim 

cipes,  whi 

not  say  wl 

How  far  t 

plan  to  pr 

original  ini 

utility  in  a 

me  to  say; 

opinion  on 

authority  a 

should  alw 

frustrated  i 

patent,  I  hi 

ncations,  I 

Attorney  G 

at  the  time 

the  law,  to 


'm. 


X 


ABBITIOIKS 

To  the  Second  Edition—IVoT.  1839. 

Since  the  first  edition  of  my  narrptive  was  published, 
iome  circumstances  have  occurred,  v  *^-ich  I  think  worth 
relating;  and  shall,  therefore,  continue  to  give  the  reader 
an  account  of  all  thode  things  relating  to  my  system  of 
practice,  and  the  success  it  has  met  with,  up  to  the 
present  time. 

After  having  failed  in  my  attempt  to  obtain  justice,  by 
prosecuting  Elias  Smith  for  trespass,  as  has  been  before 
related,  I  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  some  new  plan  of 
procedure,  in  order  to  meet  the  universal  opposition  I 
havo  in  all  cases  met  with  from  not  only  the  medical 
Acuity,  hut  from  all  iho«e  who  belong  to  what  are  called 
the  learned  professions.  Judge  Story  decided  that  the 
action  could  not  be  sustained,  because  the  specifications 
in  my  patent  were  not  so  explicit  as  to  determine  what 
my  claim  was.  He  said  it  contained  a  number  of  re- 
cipes, which,  no  doubt,  were  very  valuable;  but  I  did 
not  say  what  part  of  it  I  claimed  as  my  own  invention. 
How  far  this  opinion  was  governed  by  a  preconcerted 
plan  to  prevent  me  from  maintaining  my  claim  as  the 
original  inventor  of  a  system  of  practice,  and  proving  its 
utility  in  a  court  of  justice,  it  would  not  be  proper  for 
me  to  say;  but  I  have  an  undoubted  right  to  my  own 
opinion  on  the  subject ;  besides  I  had  it  from  very  high 
authority  at  the  time,  that  this  was  the  fact,  and  that  I 
should  always  find  all  my  efforts  to  support  my  claim, 
frustrated  in  the  same  manner.  When  I  obtained  m^ 
patent,  I  had  good  legal  advice  in  making  out  the  speci- 
fications, besides,  it  was  examined  and  approved  by  the 
Attorney  General  of  the  United  States;  and  it  was  said 
at  the  time  of  the  trial,  by  several  gentlemen  learned  in 
the  law,  to  be  good;  and  that  the  very  nature  and  mean- 


^^ 


166 


Narrative  of  the  lAfct  8fc. 


ing  of  the  patent  was,  that  the  compounding  and  using 
the  articles  specified  in  manner  therein'  set  forth,  ww 
what  I  claimed  as  my  invention. 

There  was,  however,  no  other  way  for  me  to  do,  but 
to  obtain  another  patent;  and  immediately  oAer  the 
above  decision,  I  set  about  getting  cne  that  would  meet 
the  objections  that  had  been  made  to  the  first.  In  fflak- 
ing  new  specifications,  I  had  the  assistance  of  several 
gentlemen  of  the  law,  and  others,  and  every  precaution 
was  taken  to  have  them  according  to  law ;  but  whether 
my  second  patent  will  be  more  successful  than  the  first, 
time  must  determine.  It  embraces  the  six  numbers, 
composition  or  vegetable  powders,  nerve  powder,  and 
the  application  of  steam  to  raise  perspiration ;  and  to  put 
my  claim  beyond  doubt,  I  addea  at  the  end  as  follows, 
viz:  "The  preparing  and  compounding  the  foregoing 
vegetable  medicine,  m  manner  as  herein  described,  and 
'the  administering  them  to  cure  disease,  as  herein  men- 
tioned, together  with  the  use  of  steam  to  produce  perspi- 
ration, I  claim  as  my  own  invention."  My  second  patent 
is  dated  January  28,  1823. 

In  obtaining  a  patent,  it  wa»  my  priqoipal  nh)*^*  ** 
get  the  protection  of  the  government  agaAist  the  machi- 
nations of  my  enemies,  more  than  to  take  advantage  of 
a  monopoly;  for  in  selling  family  rights,  I  convey  to  the 
purchaser  the  information  gained  by  thirty  years  prac- 
tice, and  for  which  I  am  paid  a  sum  of  mone^  as  an 
equivalent.  This  I  should  have  a  right  to  do,  if  there 
were  no  patent  in  the  case.  Those  who  purchase  the 
right  have  all  the  advantages  of  m^  experienee,  and  also 
the  right  to  the  use  of  the  medicine,  secured  to  me  by 
patent,  and  to  the  obtaining  and  preparing  it  for  them- 
selves, without  any  emolument  to  me  whatever.  And  in 
all  the  numerous  cases  where  I  have  sold  rights,  there 
have  been  very  few  instances  where  any  objections  havo 
been  made  to  paying  for  them,  where  notes  had  been 
given,  and  these  were  by  those  who  had  been  persuaded 
by  men  opposed  to  me  and  my  practice,  and  who  had 
interested  views  in  doing  me  all  the  injury  they  could; 
but  where  suits  have  been  commenced  to  recover  on 
notes  given  for  rights,  it  has  been  decided  that  the  de- 
mand is  good  in  law,  and  the  plea  set  up  of  no  value  re- 


Of  Stmuel  TliovMon. 


167 


been 

aded 
had 

ould} 
on 
de- 

e  re- 


ceived, is  not  valid;  because  the  inrormation  given,  and 
the  advantages  received,  is  a  valuable  consideration, 
without  any  reference  to  the  patent  right.  In  all  cases 
where  a  person  possesses  valuable  intbrmation  from  his 
own  experience  or  ingenuity,  there  can  be  no  reason  why 
he  should  not  hftve  a  right  to  sell  it  to.another  as  well  as 
any  other  property,  and  that  all  contracts  made  in  such 
cases  should  not  be  binding,  provided  there  is  no  fraud 
or  deception  used. 

When  a  suitable  opportunity  ofTers,  I  shall  avail  my- 
self of  my  patent  rights,  for  the  purposo  of  stopping  the 
people  being  imposed  upon,  by  those  who  pretend  to 
practise  by  my  system,  having  no  authority  from  me, 
and  have  not  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  subject;  but 
are  tampering  with  all  kinds  of  medicine  to  the  injury 
of  their  patients,  and  the  great  detriment  of  the  credit  of 
my  system  of  practice;  for  when  they  happen  to  be 
successful,  they  arrogate  to  themselves  great  credit  for 
the  cure ;  but  when  the  patients  die,  it  is  all  laid  to  the 
door  of  m^  system.  The  doctors  are  ready  enough  to 
avaU  themselves  of  these  cases,  and  to  publish  exagger- 
ated accounts  of  them,  to  prejudice  the  minds  of  the 
people  against  me.  Whenever  I  again  make  an  attempt 
to  vindicate  my  rights,  by  appealing  to  the  laws  of  my 
country,  I  am  determined,  if  possible,  to  take  such  meas- 
ures as  tihall  give  me  a  fair  chance  to  obtain  justice.  All. 
I  ask  is,-  to  have  a  fair  opportunity  to  prove  my  medicine 
to  be  new  and  useful,  which  is  all  the  law  requires  to 
make  the  patent  valid.  In  doing  this,  I  shall  spare  no 
expense  to  have  the  most  able  counsel  in  the  country  en- 
gaged, and  shall  not  Ptop  at  any  decision  against  me,  till 
carried  to  the  highest  judicial  tribunal  in  the  country. 

It  is  a  matter  of  much  gratulation  to  me,  and  a  balm 
for  all  my  sufferings,  that  my  system  of  practice  is  fast 
gaining  ground  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  The  peo- 
ple wherever  it  is  intiroduced,  take  a  lively  interest  in 
the  cause,  and  family  rights  sell  rapidly;  and  all  who 
purchase,  give  much  credit  to  the  superior  and  benefi- 
cial efiects  of  the  medicine  above  all  others.  The 
prejudices  of  those  who  have  been  opposed  to  it  ^eem 
to  be  fast  wearing  away  before  the  light  of  reason  and 
common  sense.    A  number  of  gentlemen,  eminent  for 


•**>_!> 


168 


A*a»TaH«e  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc. 


their  loientifio  researches  and  usefulness  in  society,  have 
become  advocates  for  the  cause ;  and  although  they  may 
not  be  perfectly  converted  so  as  to  give  up  all  their 
former  opinions,  yet  they  allow  that  the  system  is  inge- 
nious ana  philosophical,  and  that  the  practice  is  new  and 
safe. 

In  introducing  my  new  mode  of  practice  to  the  peo- 
ple of  this  country,  I  have  never  sought  the  patronage 
or  assistance  of  the  great;  and  the  success  it  has  met 
with  has  been  altogether  owing  to  its  own  merit.  There 
has  been  no  management  or  arts  used  to  deceive  or  to 
flatter  the  vanity  of  any  one;  but  in  all  cases  I  have  en- 
deavored to  convince  by  demonstrating  the  truth,  by 
the  most  plain  and  sin\ple  method  of  practice,  to  effect 
the  object  aimed  at,  and  to  cure  disease  by  such  means 
as  I  thought  would  cause  the  least  trouble  and  expense. 
This,  probaibly,  has  been. one  of  the  greatest  causes  of 
the  opposition  I  have  met  with  from  the  people;  for 
the;^  have  been  so  lona  in  the  habit  of  being  gulled  by 
designing  men,  and  the  ostentatious  show  of  pompous 
declarations  and  high  sounding  words,  backed  by  the 
recommendations  of  those  they  have  flattered  and  deceiv- 
ed, that  nothing .  brought  forward  in  a  plain  and  simple 
dress  seems  worthy  of  notice.  If  I  had  adopted  a  more 
deceptive  plan,  to  suit  the  follies  of  the  times,  I  might 
have  been  more  successful;  but  I  am  satisfied  I  should 
have  been  less  useful. 

There  is  one  thing  which  I  think  cannot  be  matter 
of  doubt,  that  I  have  been  the  cause  of  awakening  a 
spirit  of  ihquiry  among  the  people  of  this  country,  into 
the  medical  practice  and  the  fashionable  manner  of  treat- 
ment in  curmg  disease,  iVom  which  great  benefits  will 
be  derived  to  the  community.  Many  new  contrivances 
and  plans  have  been  introduced  by  different  men,  td 
produce  perspiration  by  steam  and  other  methods,  by 
the  use  of  vegetables,  which  unquestionably  have  taken 
their  origin  from  my  practice.  When  I  began  to  make 
use  of  steam,  a  great  deal  of  noise  was  made  about  it 
throughout  the  country,  and  I  was  called  the  $teaming' 
and  neeating  doctor,  bv  way  of  ridicule.  It  was  even 
stated  by  the  doctors,  tnat  I  steamed  and  sweat  my  pa- 
tients to  death.    Thit  no  doubt  led  some  ingenious  men 


to  invest! 

covering 

afflicted, 

oontrivan( 

sick.    Jei 

and  consii 

found  not 

of  inflamn 

produce  ai 

name  of  W 

medicate( 

among  the 

It  seemi 

learn  of  hi 

from  this 

new  systen 

ing  all  kin< 

glands,   by 

the  use  of  ( 

be  got  his 

upon  this  pi 

imderstand  J 

tice  as  far  a 

He  says  so 

an  Indian  in 

any  notice. 

my  system 

obstructions 

scrofulous;  i 

structions  b; 

icine.     In  a 

has  been  not 

in,  than  the 

rheum,  St.  j 

evil,  rheuma 

It  appears 

great  succes 

port  and  patr 

dom,  who  h 

an  asylum  fi 

cess  has  giv 

pears  that  h( 


Of  Samuel  Thomion, 


169 


to  investigate  the  subject  by  experiments,  and  on  di»> 
covering  that  it  was  useful  in  restoring  health  to  the' 
afflicted,  particularly  in  scrofulous  complaints,  diffisrent 
contrivances  have  been  introduced  to  apply  steam  to  the 
sick.  Jennings's  vapor  bath  was  highly  recommended 
and  considerably  used  a  few  years  ago  ;  but  it  hiis  been 
found  not  to  be  saf<d  in  cases  where  there  is  a  high  state 
of  inflammation,  without  the  use  of  my  medicine  to  flrtt 
produce  an  equilibrium  in  the  system.  A  man  by  the 
name  of  VVhitlaw,  has  lately  introduced  what  he  calls  his 
medicated  vapor  bath,  which  has  made  considerable  stir 
among  the  medical  faculty. 

It  seems  that  this  Mr.  Whitlaw,  from  what  I  ean 
learn  of  him  from  his  publications,  about  1816,  went 
from  this  country  to  England,  and  there  introduced  a 
new  system  of  practice,  and  became  celebrated  in  cur^ 
ing  all  kinds  of  scrofulous  complaints  and  diseases  of  the 
glands,  by  means  of  his  method  of  applying  steam  and 
the  use  of  decoctions  from  American  vegetables.  How 
be  got  his  knowledge,  or  what  first  induced  him  to  fix 
upon  this  plan,  I  know  not;  but  it  seems,  as  far  as  I  can 
understand  him,  that  he  has  adopted  my  system  of  prac- 
tice as  far  as  he  has  been  able  to  get  a  knowledge  of  it. 
He  says  something  about  gaining  his  knowledge  from 
an  Indian  in  this  country;  but  this  is  too  stale  to  require 
any  notice.  One  of  the  great  principles  upon  which 
my  system  is  founded,  is,  that  all  disease  orisinates  in 
obstructions  in  the  glands,  and  if  not  removed  becomes 
scrofulous;  and  the  only  remedy  is  to  remove  the  ob- 
structions by  raising  perspiration  by  steam  and  hot  med- 
icine. In  all  my  practice,  for  nearly  forty  years,  there 
has  been  nothing  that,  I  have  succeeded  more  completely 
in,  than  the  cure  of  scrofulous  complaints,  such  as  sal^ 
rheum,  St.  Anthony's  fire,  scalt  head,  cancers,  king'a 
evil,  rheumatism  and  consumption. 

It  appears  that  the  above  gentleman  has  met  with 
great  success  in  England,  and  that  he  has  had  the  sup- 

Sort  and  patronage  of  many  of  the  first  men  in  the  king- 
om,  who  have  liberally  contributed  to  the  support  of 
an  asylum  for  the  cure  of  the  poor,  and  that  nii  suc- 
cess has  given  universal  satisfaction.    And  it  alio  ap- 
pears that  he  has  met  with  abuse  from  the  medioal  Am- 
16 


t  , 


170 


JVarroKve  i*f  the  lAfe,  ^e. 


ulty,  both  there  and  in  this  cuuntr^.  This  wm  to  htve 
been  expected,  and  is  the  best  evidence  of  its  utility.  I 
feel  no  enmity  towards  those  who  are  benefiting  by  ikiy 
discoveries,  and  it  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  think  that  I 
have  been  instrumental  in  introducing  a  new  system  of 
medical  practice,  by  which  I  feel  confident  so  much 
benefit  will  be  derived  by  relieving  in  a  great  measure, 
the  sum  of  humui  misery.  But  I  tnink  those  gentlemen 
who  have  gained  any  knowledge  from  my  practice,  for 
which  I  have  suffered  so  much  for  introducing,  ought,  in 
justice,  to  allow  me  some  credit  for  the  discovery. 

It  has  been  my  misfortune  to  meet  with  not  only  op- 
position in  my  practice,  but  to  suflTer  many  wrongs  from 
8ome  with  whom  I  have  had  dealings,  and  this  in  many 
cases  were  those  who  have  attempted  to  injure  me  were 
among  those  that  I  considered  under  obligations  to  me. 
I  have  related  a  number  of  cases  in  the  course  of  my 
narrative;  but  the  disposition  in  many,  still  seems  to 
continue.    In  selling  family  rights,  I  have  always  been 
as  liberal  to  purchasers  as  they  could  wish,  particularly 
where  I  was  convinced  their  circumstances  made  it  in- 
convenient for  them  to  pay  the  money  down ;  and  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  taking  notes  payable  at  a  convenient 
time.    This  has  occasioned  me  considerable  loss;  but 
in  most  cases  the  purchasers  have  shown  a  disposition  to 
pay  if  in  their  power,  have  treated  me  with  a  proper  re- 
spect, and  have  been  grateful  for  the  favor;  with  these 
I  have  been  satisfied,  and  no  one  has  had  reason  to  com^ 
plain  of  my  want  of  generosity  towards  them.    There 
kave  been  some,  however,  who  have  taken  a  different 
course,  and  have  not  only  refused  to  comply  with  their 
contract,  but  have  notwithstanding  they  have  continued 
to  use  the  medicine,  turned  against  me  and  have  tried  to 
do  me  all  the  harm  in  their  power.     Such  conduct  has 
caused  me  some  considerable  vexation  and  trouble. 

At  the  time  I  failed  in  my  attempt  against  Elias  Smith, 
in  consequence  of  the  decision  against  the  correctness 
of  the  specifications  of  my  patent,  as  haa  been  before 
related,  I  had  a  number  of  notes  for  rights  sold,  among 
them  were  two  against  a  person,  who  had  previously 
expressed  great  zeal  in  my  catuse,  for  a  right  for  him- 
self, and  one  for  his  firiend.    During  the  pending  of  the 


trial,  h( 
came  u 
Smith,  I 
refused 
and  the 
think  be 
after  we 
he  still 
the  actic 
The  defl 
consequc 
there  wai 
The  tri 
aged  by  ] 
the  defen 
1  have  be 
prejudice 
defendant 
slang  abo 
for  murde 
the  greatc 
hut  when 
my  claim, 
and  practi 
hia  tone  v 
Ws  eirone 
part  of  the 
tion  of  law 
the  Judge 
case  was  ( 
on  this  poii 
The  casi 
agreed  in 
Court  did 
suspension, 
opecificatioi 
according 
hearing  wa 
that  the  de, 
the  necessal 
safety;  but  i 
ed  that  he 


^' 


M 


Of  Samuel  Thonuon. 


ni 


trial,  be  took  sidoa  with  Smith ;  and  after  the  deciiMon, 
came  to  the  coaclusion,  or,  ag  I  suppose,  was  told  by 
Smith,  that  the  notes  could  not  be  collected  by  law,  aoid 
refusied  to  pay  them.  I  did  not  wish  to  put  him  to  coat, 
and  therefore  let  the  business  rest,  in  hopes  he  would 
think  better  of  it  and  pay  me  according  to  contract;  but 
after  waiting  until  the  notes  were  nearly  outlawed,  and 
he  still  refusing  to  pay,  I  put  one  of  them  in  suit,  and 
the  action  was  tried  before  the  Boston  Police  Court. 
The  defence  set  up  was,  that  the  contract  was  void,  in 
consequence  of  the  failure  of  the  patent;  and  also  that 
there  was  no  value  received. 

The  trial  wtis  before  Mr.  Justice  Ome,  and  was  man- 
aged by  Mr.  Morse,  for  the  plaintiff,  and  Mr.  Merrill,  for 
the  defendant.  On  this  trial,  as  on  all  others  in  which 
I  have  been  engaged,  there  seemed  to  be  the  same  fixed 
prejudice  against  me  and  my  system  of  practice.  The 
defendant's  lawyer  opened  the  defence  with  all  the  old 
slang  about  quackery,  alluding  to  the  report  of  my  trial 
for  murder,  and  that  he  was  going  to  make  out  one  of 
the  greatest  cases  of  deception  and  fraud  ever  known; 
but  when  he  came  to  hear  the.  evidence  in  support  of 
my  claim,  and  the  great  credit  given  to  my  medicine 
and  practice,  by  many  respectable  witnesses,  he  altered 
his  tone  very  much,  and  I  hope  became  convinced  of 
his  erroneous  impressions;  and  seemed  to  abandon  tiiis 
part  of  the  defence,  placing  his  dependence  on  the  ques- 
tion of  law,  as  to  the  failure  of  the  patent.  This  question 
the  Judge  seemed  not  willing  to  decide  alone,  and  the 
case  was  continued  for  argument  before  the  full  court, 
on  this  point. 

The  case  was  argued  before  the  three  Judges,  who  all 
agreed  in  the  -  opinion,  that  the  decision  of  the  Circuit 
(Jourt  did  not  affect  the  patent  right ;  but  was  a  mere 
suspension,  in  consequence  of  an  informality  in  the 
specifications,  which  did  not  debar  me  firom  recovering 
according  to  the  contract.  After  this  decision,  another 
hearing  was  had,  and  another  attempt  made  to  prove 
that  the  defendant  had  not  been  furnished  by  me  with 
the  necessary  information  to  enable  him  to  practise  mth 
safety;  but  in  this  he  failed  altogether;  for  it  was  prov- 
ed that  he  had  the  privilege  of  being  a  member  of  the 


j^ 


^ 


tn 


J>fhrrta%ve  of  ike  tAfe,  Sfc. 


/-%i,. 
■■^r 


Friendly  Botanic  Society,  and  had  also  all  the  advantagen 
that  others  had,  and  that  if  he  did  not  improve  it,  it  wan 
his  own  faalt.     It  was  also  proved  that  he  bad  been  in 
the  constant  practice  of  using  the  medicine  in  his  family, 
and  prepared  and  offered  it  for  sale  to  others.    In  the 
course  of  the  examination,  Elias  Smith  was  brought  for- 
ward by  the  defendant,  to  prove,  as  I  presume,  that  I 
!  was  not  capable  of  giving  information  on  my  own  system 
of  practice;  but  his  testimony  was  so  contradictory,  to 
say  the  least  of  it,  that  it  did  more  harm  than  good  to  the 
defendant's  cause.     There  was  also  a  doctor  of  the  regu- 
lar order  introduced  in  the  defence ;  but  he  seemed  to 
know  nothing  about  the  practice  or  the  case  before  the 
>  court,  and  of  course  his  evidence  amounted  to  very  little, 
''as  his  opinion  upon  a  subject  that  he  knew  nothing  about, 
:  was  not  of  much  value,  and  was  very  properly  objected 
'to by  the  plaintifi^s  counsel. 

' '    In  the  course  of  the  trial,  a  great  number  of  gentle- 
'  men  of  undoubted  veracity,   were  brought  forward  to 
«  prove  the  utility  of  ipy  system  of  practice,  who  gave  the 
most  perfect  testimony  in  its  favor.     Several  stated,  that 
i^they  were  so  well  convinced  of  its  superiority  over  all 
others,  and  they  were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  benefits 
I'they  had  derived  from  its  use,  that  no  sum  of  money 
whatever  would  induce  them  to  be  deprived  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  it.    Among  the  witnesses,  an  eminent  physician 
of  Boston,  who  has  on  all  occasions  been  very  friendly, 
and  shown  a  warm  interest  in  support,  of  my  system  of 
practice,  voluntarily  came  forward  and  gave  a  very  fair 
and  candid  statement  in  favor  of  its  utility,  the  value  of 
my  discoveries,  and  the  important  additions  I  had  made 
■'  to  the  Materia  Medica. 

The  Judge  took  several  days  to  mfdie  up  bis  judgment, 
and  finally  decided  in  my  favor,  giving  me  the  full 
amount  of  my  claim;  thus  settling  the  principle,  that 
.  obligations  given  for  family  rights  were  good  in  law. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  have  ever  had  a  chance  to  prove 
the  utility  of  my  medicine  and  system  of  practic'e,  be- 
fore a  court  of  law;  having  always  before  been  pre- 
vented by  some  management  of  the  court. 

A  knowledge  of  the  veget«^le  medicine  that  I  have 
brought  into  use  in  curing  the  diseases  incident  to  this 


country, 

SracHet," 
'•tes;  bi 
P'«»ely  su 

wjthttandi 
S^Me  have 
1"  getting  I 
to  quackei 
who  get  a  ( 
bylaw;  de| 
demands  ft 
one  step  fui 
for  any  one 
<>*ne  to  the 
on  all  who 
•re  so  unfoi 
mining  for  ( 
them,  or  w\ 
^■edioal  Soci 
«  eimiiarlav 
of  Gov.  ShuJ 
fo  great  pr« 
(hrouffh  the 
turned  the  bi 
^•e,  that  he 
«nd  it  if  to  be 
jeholar,  now 
nuence  to  ator 
of  the  modicj 
wgState. 

The  remarki 

otNew  York, 

And  proves  w 

other  places,  t 

position  fVom  t 

»t»  utility,  has 

the  year  1821, 

ifl  Ohio,  was  pa 

•  visit  to  his  fi 

•ee  a  man  whoi 

•The  late  Gor»r 


Of  Samiul  TVmmoh. 


173 


II  have 
to  this 


country,  and  what  the  faculty  call,  my  "tiov«<  modt  of 

Sraetie;"  ia  fast  gaining  ground  in  all  parta  of  the  United 
talei;  hut  in  no  part  ofitof  late,  has  it  been  more  com- 
pletely successful,  than  in  the  State  of  New  York,  not* 
withstanding  the  virulent  oppesition  the  doctors  in  that 
State  have  made  to  its  progress.  They  have  succeeded 
in  getting  a  law  passed  by  their  Legislature,  to  put  a  stop 
to  quackery,  as  they  call  all  practice,  except  by  those 
who  get  a  diploma  from  some  medical  society  established 
by  law;  depriving  all  others  of  the  right  of  collecting  their 
demands  for  medical  practice ;  and  they  have  also  gone 
one  step  further  than  any  other  State,  by  making  it  penal 
for  any  one  who  is  not  of  the  regular  order,  to  sell  medi- 
oine  to  the  sick;  imposing  a  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars 
on  all  who  offend;  thus  taking  away  from  those  who 
are  so  unfortunate  as  to  be  sick,  all  the  right  of  deter- 
mining for  themselves,  who  they  shall  employ  to  cure 
them,  or  what  medicine  they  shall  make  use  of.  The 
Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  made  an  attempt  to  get 
a  similar*  law  passed  in  that  State;  but  the  good  sense 
of  Gov.  Shultx,  put  a  stop  to  it,  for  which  he  ij  entitled 
to  great  praise.  After  they  h^^^  managed  to  get  it 
through  the  Legislature,  he  refused  to  sign  it,  and  rer 
turned  the  bill  with  his  reasons;  the  principal  of  which 
was,  that  he  considered  it  altogether  unconetitutienal; 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  enlightened  statesman  and 
scholar,  now  Governor  of  New  York,*  will  use  his  in- 
duenoe  to  stop  the  interested  and  monopolizing  schemes 
of  the  medical  faculty  in  that  important  and  enterprise 
ins  State. 

The  remarkable  extension  of  the  practice  in  the  Stat« 
of  New  York,  was  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  accident; 
and  proves  what  I  have  fotind  to  be  the  case  in  many 
other  places,  that  v/here  it  has  met  with  the  greatest  op^ 
position  iVom  the  faculty,  the  spread  of  a  knoivledge  of 
Its  utility,  has  been  the  most  rapid  and  permanent.  In 
the  year  1831,  my  son,  Cyrus  Thomson,  who  had  settled 
m  Ohio,  was  passing  through  the  State  of  New  Yprk,  on 
a  visit  to  his  friends;  while  in  Manlius,  he  stepped  t» 
see  a  man  whom  I  had  authorized  to  practise,  and  wluie 

*The  late  Gevffrnnr  CliJbabi  tt^f  .^QifMl.Mtu-^ai  ni 

16* 


m 


174 


JSTurraime  of  the  Life,  8fe. 


there,  was  requested  by  him  to  go  and  see  two  patients 
ho  had  been  requested  t6  attend;  both  of  th6m  had  been 
given  over  by  the  doctors,  as  incurable.  One  of  them 
was 'found  to  be  past  help,  very  little  was  done  for  her, 
and  she  soon  afler  died.  Th6  other  was  cured  by  the 
use  of  the  medicine.  The  death  of  the  above  person 
was  taken  advantage  of  by  the  doctors,  who  circulated  a 
report  that  she  was  murdered  by  the  medicine  that  had 
been  given  her.  This  produd^d  a  strong  excitement 
among  the  people,  who  knew  nothing  about  the  facts; 
a  warrant  was  obtained,  through  the  influence  of  the 
.doctors,  and  my  son  and  the  other  man  were  arrest* 
ed.^  My  son  was  thrown  into  prison,  and  the  other 
was  put  under  bonds  of  a  thousand  doll'ars,  to  appear 
at  the  next  court.  The  first,  however,  after  laying  in 
Juil  three  days,  was  enabled  to  give  bonds,  also,  for  his 
appearance. 

Being  thus  prevented  from  pursuing  his  journey,  he 
set  himself  down  in  the  town  where  the  above  occur- 
rence took  place,  and  went  into  practice.  The  persecu- 
tions of  the  faculty  gave  him  friends,  as  it  led  the  people 
to  inquire  into  their  conduct,  and  being  satisfied  of  their 
"tnotives,  did  all  they  could  to  protect  him  and  increase 
llis  practice.  His  success  has  been  gteater  than  in  any 
other  part  of  the  country,  the  practice  having  spread 
over  a  country  of  more  than  two  hundred  miles  in  ex- 
tent;  and  his  success  m  curmg  disease  has  been  very 
great,  having  lost  but  six  patients  out  of  about  fifteen 
hondred.  This  has  caused  the  faculty  to  follow  up  their 
persecutions,  in  ord6r  to  drive  him  out  of  the  country ; 
Hut  he  is  too  firmly  established  in  the  good  opinion  of 
the  people,  for  them  to  effect  their  object.  I  have 
another  son  established  in  the  practice  at  Albany,  who 
has  been  very  successful  in  introducing  (he  knowledge 
ti  it  there ;  and  a  number  of  gentlemen  of  the  first 
■t^Nipeetability,  are  takinj^  a  strong  interest  in  promoting 
its  success. 

°  A  writer  has  iMely  come  forward  and  published  a 
''Veries  of  numbers  in  the  Boston  Patriot,  under  the  title 
oif* 'Eclectic,"  who  appears  well  qualified,  and  seems 
disposed  to  do  me  end  my  system  of  practice  justice, 
by  laying  before  the  people  a  dorrect  view  of  my  case. 


;isha] 

«ircums 

the  publ 

particuii 

as  conci 

•m  not 

the  publ 

tificates 

under  m^ 

n»7  agen 

have  hat 

use  of  mj 

useful  ini 

correct  v 

niinistorir 

treatment 

could  be 

been  mad 

ing  narrai 

necessary 

ments  thei 

which  vai 

have  had 

etructions 

cient  to  sa 

be  for  ev( 

curing  th( 

necessity 


Pew  fail 
the/  can 
is  a  fcuqily 
be  sicknes 
if  the  fami 
doctor  has 
punity,  w 
•uspicion. 
might  hav 
man  at  hoi 


Theae 


% 


.m- 


Of  Samttel  Ihmson. 


116 


shed  a 

le  title 

seems 

iustice, 

case. 


I  shall  now  brins  this  narrative  of  those  events  and 
circumstances  that  nave  taken  place  in  my  life,  in  which 
the  public  are  interested,  to  a  close;  having  stated  every 
particular  that  I  thought  worthy  of  being  recorded,  in 
as  concise  and  plain  a  manner  as  I  was  capable ;    and 
am  not  without  "a  hope  that  my  endeavors  to  promote 
the  public  good,  will  be  duly  appreciated.     Some  eer« 
tificates  and  statements  of  cases  that  have  been  attended 
under  my  system  of  practice,  from  those  who  have  been 
my  agents,  or  who  have  purchased  family  rights,  and 
have  had  long  experience  in  the  effects  produced  by  a 
use  of  my  medicine,  are  subjoined.*    They  fUrnish  much 
useful  information  on  the  subject,  and  willconveyaiiiore 
correct  view  of  the  success  which  has  attended  iith  ad- 
ministering my  medicine,    and   following  the  ^lode  of 
treatment  recommended  by  my  system  of  practice,  than 
could  be  given  in  any  other  manner.    Reference  has 
been  made  to  some  of  them  in  the  course  of  the  forego- 
ing narrative,  and  their  publication  in  the  work  seemed 
necessary,  to  convey  a  correct  knowledge  of  many  state- 
ments therein  given,  to  show  the  safety  and  t^uccess  with 
which  various  diseases  have  been  cured  by  others,  who 
have  had  no  other  knowledge  of  medicine  than  the  in^ 
structions  received  from  me;  and  will,  I  trust,  be  suffi- 
cient to  satisfy  every  reasonable  person  how  easy  it  would 
be  for  every  one  to  become  possessed  of  the  means  of 
curing  themselves  of  disease,  without  being  under  the 
necessity  of  calling  the  aid  of  a  physician. 

Our  Family  Doctor. 

Few  families,  particularly  in  cities  and  villages,  think 
they  can  do  without  a  family  doptor.  But  of  what  use 
is  a  &n)ily,  other  than  his  own,  to  a  doctor,  unless  there' 
be  sickness?  Hence  it  is  for  the  interest  of  the  doctor, 
if  the  family  are  not  sick,  to  make  them  so.  The  family 
doctor  has  too  often  an  qpportunity  of  doing  this  with  im- 
punity, without  detection,  and  without  even  exciting 
suspicion.  Even  contagion  is  often  spread  abroad  which 
might  have  been  cufftsd  by  an  old.  or  even  a  young  wo* 
man  at  home.  % 


*  These  GerliQoAtevir*  nOF  very  much  oondfosei). 


U 


176 


Abrra/toe  a/  the  lAfe,  Sfc. 


'<  Behold,  how  great  a  matter,  a  little  fire  kindleth!" 
James  iii.  5.  For  example.  A  child  is  taken  with  the 
belly-ache.  The  family  doctor  is  sent  for,  who  pro- 
nouncei^  its  disorder  to  be  worms;  gives  calomel  and 
jalap  to  destroy  them,  which  reduces  the  child  very  much. 
The  next  visit,  bleeds  it,  to  lay  the  fever,  then  gives  it  a 
fever  powder,  composed  of  nitre,  opium  and  camphor, 
once  in  two  hours.  The  {.uient  now  lays  in  a  stupid, 
senseless  posture,  with  crimson  spots  on  the  cheeks, .  de- 
noting putrefaction.  The  doctor  is  again  sent  for  in 
haste,  who  now  pronounces  it  to  be  the  putrid  fever. 
The  bleeding  is  repeated,  and  the  fever  powders  contin- 
ue4*  The  nerves  become  convulsed,  and  the  doctor  is 
again  ;^8ent  for,  who  pronounces  the  disorder  to  be  the 
putrid  nervous  fever,  and  that  it  has  become  contagious; 
the  child  dies;  the  family,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  and 
being  much  alarmed,  begin  to  become  sick,  and  by  the 
time  the  corpse  of  the  child  is  interred,  are  all  down  with 
the  disorder.  The  doctor  now  has  much  employ ;  the 
neighbors  c^re  called  in  to  watch,  the  putrefaction  runs 
higji ;  the  neighbors,  one  after  another,  take  the  disorder, 
and  return  home  sick;  the  doctor  is  called,  business  cains 
rapidly  in  consequence  of  the  same  treatment,  until  the 
fever  has  gone  through  the  whole  village.  All  thank  the 
doctor  for  his  incessant  attention  and  kindness;  and  he 
boasts  of  wonder^iil  success,  having  lost  but  fifly  out  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty!  His  bill  is  paid  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction.  By  this  time  the  doctor  can  build  his  house 
without  sitting  down  '*  to  count  the  cost."     [Pause  ] 

What  is  the  cause  of  all  this  village  sickness  ?  Re- 
member the  text.  "  Behold,  how  great  a  matter,  a  little 
fire  kindleth."  A  child  was  taken  with  the  belly-ache; 
and  had  no  doctor  been  known,  the  mother,  wi^h  one  gill 
of  pepper  and  milk,  could  have  cured  the  child,  and  sev- 
ad  all  this  slaughter  of  the  scourge  of  a  family  doctor. 

Is  not  this  the  cause  of  the  spread  of  so  many  conta- 
gious disorders,  which  prevail  unaccounted  for?  If  so, 
learn  wisdom  by  the  evils  which  others  endure ;  ijtudy 
the  nature  of  disease,  and  how  to  remove  it,  and  never 
tnist  your  own  life,  nor  that,  of  tt  child,  in  the  hands  of 
irhat  is  called  a  family  physicianifr 


m 


^  •.-«.. 


*^o  the 

,    Iw  the  y 
»n  Boston," 
to  appoint  o 
*no  lead  in 
wjonded  Mr 
before  relate 
He  was  ger 
the  isummer 
jars,  and  oti 
nm  somethi 
■greed  to  fur 
or  sold  by  hi 
needed,  to  fu 
"ghts,  andt 
»nd  for  the  n 
roanding  payi 
agent.  Col.  J- 
J«r.  Locke's 
me  that,  in,tl 
mwch  as  he  ( 
privijeffe  of  r 
1  indulged  th 
quest  for  one 
of  indulgence, 
nw  own  prof] 
^^ine.    At  the 
?«H  agent,  q 
'n  the  manner 
a«.  usual  throuj 
mittee  to  revo 
to  prepare  and 
out  rendering  ' 


,;»i^'  .Vv4)Vvi^-i'  yj  -^mmrf^S^t^ 


o'ii 


t^ 


Re- 
little 
iche; 
e  gill 

sev- 
er, 
onta- 
If  so, 
dtudy 
never 

dBof 


ABDlTIIOIirS 

To  the  Third  Edition— Aiigrust,  1831. 

In  the  year  1825,  "The  Friendly  Botanical  Society 
in  Boiton,"  being  destitute  of  a  practitioner,  wished  me 
to  appoint  an  agent,  whom  I  thought  competent,  toittke 
the  lead  In  practice,  and  sell  my  medicine.  I  i'^pln- 
mended  Mr.  John  Locke,  of  Portsmouth,  as  has  oeen 
before  related,  in  whom  I  had  put  the  utmost  confidence. 
He  was  sent  for  by  the  committee,  and  moved  here  in 
the  flummer  of  that  same  year.  I  gave  him  twenty  dol- 
lars, and  oth{;r8  of  the  committee,  and  members,  gave 
him  something  handsome,  for  hia  encouragement.  I 
agreed  to  furnish  him  with  all  the  medicine,  either  used 
or  sold  by  him,  at  stipulated  prices,  to  give  advice  when 
needed,  to  furnish  him  v/ith  books  for  the  sale  of  family 
rights,  and  to  give  him  ten  dollars  for  every  right  sold; 
and  for  the  medicine,  I  was  to  wait  one  year  before  de- 
manding payment.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  my  principal 
agent,  Col,  House,  and  the  three  committee,  looked  over 
Mr.  Locke's  account,  in  my  absence,  and  reported  to 
me  that,  in>  their  opinion,  Mr.  Locke  had  not  made  as 
much  as  he  ought,  and  proposed  for  me  to  give  him  the 

FrivilejKe  of  inalcing  the  medicine  used  in  his  practice, 
indulged  them  in  this  proposal,  and  granted  their  re- 
quest for  one  year.  But,  availing  himself  of  this  inch 
of  indulgence,  he  took  the  liberty  to  prepare  and  sell  for 
his  own  profit  to  all  that  should  call  on  him  for  medi- 
cine. At  the  end  of  this  year,  in  my  absence,  my  prin- 
cipal agent,  as  committee,  gave  him  liberty  to  proceed 
in  the  manner  he  had  done.  I  continued  to  give  advice 
as  usual  through  thi<i  year,  frequently  calling  on  the  com- 
mittee to  revoke  the  liberty  they  had  given  Mr.  Locke, 
to  prepare  and  sell  my  medicine  for  his  own  profit,  with- 
out rendering  me  any  account.     In  these  two  years,  by 


178 


^arratwe  of  the  Life,  Sfe. 


my  assistance,  and  that  of  my  ft^tnt  ftnd  committee,  Mr. 
Locke  seemed  to  be  well  establiihod  in  the  buMiness,  and 
boasted  of  his  great  succesi,  not  having  lo«t  a  patient  in 
two  years.  But  at  the  same  time  he  itemed  to  lose  sight 
that  I  had  been  any  benetit  to  him,  and  rather  paid  his 
whole  attention  to  the  committee. 

In  all  this  time,  I  had  never  thought  or  mistrusted  that 
there  was  a  plot  laid  againit  me,  either  by  him,  my 
agent,  or  the  committee,  or  with  all  combined,  tier  until 
about  the  end  of  the  second  year,  which  now  seems  but 
too  obvious.  Having  recently  returned  from  the  West, 
I  wjas  at  Mr.  Locke's  houMe,  and  ihowed  him  a  k^Ivb- 
pat^jf  which  coutained  an  account  of  the  masonic  out- 
r^^lPat  Batavia.  After  reading  it,  he  flew  into  a  great 
pamiion,  and  accosted  me  ns  though  1  had  made  the  story. 
I  tried  to  argue  the,  case  with  nim;  but  in  vain.  He 
called  me  by  as  many  hard  namei  ai  he  could  well  think 
of,  and  occasionally.  The  w^rda  "lie,"  and  "  fool,"  were 
in  the  compound.  I  did  not  think  that  I  had  merited 
such  treatment,  having  rendered  him  my  service  and  ad- 
vice gratuitously,  for  two  yearet.  He  seemed  to  be  so  in- 
dependent, that  he  said  that  he  wantod  nothing  of  me,  nor 
cared  any  thing  for  me.  I  retorted  that  1  wanted  noth- 
ing of  him  except  an  honorable  settlement.  This  set- 
tlement never  came  to  a  close  until  the  fall  of  the  year 
1830,  and  then  only  in  part,  He  rendered  an  account 
of  upwards  of  forty  rights  which  he  had  sold,  and  for 
which  he  settled  by  my  deducting  about  one  quarter  of 
my  share ;  but  as  for  the  medicine  which  he  has  prepar- 
ed and  sold  for  his  own  benefit,  he  refuses  to  give  me 
any  account  thereof.  So  much  for  this  inch  of  indul- 
gence. Such  conduct  appears  to  me  to  be  rather  hard, 
especially  after  all  I  and  the  society  had  done  for  )iim,  to 
enable  him  to  assist  me  in  my  old  ftgc.  But  instead  of 
this,  with  the  assistance  of  tne  committee,  and  my  prin- 
cipal agent,  they  have  taken  the  lead  of  the  business  out 
of  my  hands  as  far  as  they  were  able  to  do  it. 

!  have  tried  repeatedly  to  get  a  settlement  with  Col. 
House,  my  principal  agent,  but  cannot  eflect  it.  He  has 
paid  me  nothing  for  the  large  number  of  rights  sold  in 
about  tsn  years,  nor  will  he  r^nd^r  any  account.  I  know 
not  how  many  books  he  has  sold,  as  he  took  them  when- 


ever he  w 

last  to  se 

Here  is  th 

I  lent  him 

dollars,  oi 

he  refuses 

stances  w 

against  im 

possible,  « 

neither  bui 

attention  t 

straight  foi 

gOod  medi 

for  it. 

I  have  t 
have  met  ^ 
best  friend: 
their  estimi 
masour'  ha 
certain  I  an 
innocently  > 
an  account 
harm  in  thi 
which  conta 
Did  Mr.  L 
And  why  d 
possess  sue 
msomuch  tl 
would  not  s 
at  the  heac 
the  commit 
mason;  ifs( 
and  whethe 
and  conduc 
er  and  the  p 
to  be  hopec 
society,  whi 
ed  to  be  bro 
for  the  cho 
the  good  pe 
tions,  and  i 
the  society, 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


179 


ever  he  wanted,  in  my  absence.  When  I  called  on  him 
last  to  settle,  he  said  he  had  lust  his  account  of  credit. 
Here  is  the  result  of  ten  years  agency !  Besides  which, 
I  lent  him  and  his  partner,  ten  years  ago,  two  hundred 
dollars,  one  of  which  he  has  paid  in  printing,  the  other 
he  refuses  to  pay.  I  miglit  mention  many  other  circum- 
stances which  would  go  to  show  a  decided  hostility 
against  me,  and  a  determination  to  raise  Mr.  Locke,  if 
possible,  at.  my  expense;  but  I  forbear,  for  they  have 
neither  built  him  up,  nor  put  me  down.  I  have  paid  no 
attention  to  all  this  opposition;  but  have  kept  on  in  a 
straight  forward  course,  attending  to  the  preparing  of 
gtfod  medicine  and  supplying  all  those  who  'ironiid 
for  it.  ' 

I  have  thought  much  on  the  opposition  and  abua»  I 
have  met  with  here,  from  those  whom  I  considered  .  ij 
best  friends,  and  what  I  could  have  done  to  merit  it  in 
their  estimation.  I  will  not  undertake  to  say  how  far 
masourv  has  been  concerned  in  these  transactions;  but 
certain  I  am  that  it  commenced  with  Mr.  Locke,  on  my 
innocently  showing  him  a  newspaper  which  contained 
an  account  of  a  masonic  outrage.  1  thought  no  more 
harm  in  this  than  as  though  I  had  showed  him  a  paper 
which  contained  an  account  of  the  murder  of  Mr.  White. 
Did  Mr.  Locke  resent  this,  because  he  was  a  mason? 
And  why  did  my  agent  and  committee  from  this  time 
possess  such  sympathy  for  him,  and  conspire  against  me, 
msomuch  that  when  an  Infirmary  was  talked  of,  they 
would  not  subscribe  a  cent,  unless  Mr.  Locke  could  be 
at  the  head  of  it }  I  think  that  my  agent  and  two  of 
the  committee  are  masons,  and  that  Mr.  Locke  is  a 
mason;  if  so,  four  out  of  five  against  me  were  masons, 
and  whether  masonry  has  had  any  effect  on  the  mind 
and  conduct  of  these  gentlemen,  I  shall  leave  the  read- 
er and  the  public  to  draw  their  own  conclusions.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  good  people  who  belonged  to  the 
society,  which  the  president  and  committee  have  suffer- 
ed to  be  broken  up  by  not  calling  the  annual  meeting, 
for  the  choice  of  of^rera  agreeably  to  the  constitution; 
the  good  people  who  taokitd  part  in  the  above  transac- 
tions, and  who  have  h«d  no  part  in  the  destruction  of 
the  society,  will  make  every  effort  for  its  resusGitation, 


180 


Narrative  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc, 


hoping  that  it  will  die  no  more;  but  that  it  will  Hv«  to  be 
useful  to  the  sick  and  infirm,  and  be  an  ornament  to  gen- 
erations yet  unborn. 

It  is  expected  that  arrangements  will  be  made  for  the 
delivery  of  Botanic  lectures,  when  the  society  will  revive 
and  put  on  strength  until  the  learned,  as  well  as  the  un- 
leamedj  shall  join  to  revolutionize  the  medical  world. 

I  shall  not  go  into  any  further  particular  details  of 
agents,  but  only  take  a  general  view  in  the  western  parts 
of  the  United  States. 

Since  my  last  edition  was  printed  in  Boston,  I  h«ve 
be^osix  times  in  and  through  the  State  of  Ohio.  In 
^^^Pk  ^^^^'  ^  appointed  Charles  Miles,  as  agent  in 
<^(^  ibd  furnished  him  with  seventy-two  books  for 
faiii^  rights.  On  his  way  home  he  purchased  a  number 
of  counterfeit  books,  of  David  Rogers,  of  Geneva,  I  un- 
derstood about  one  hundred,  more  or  less.  He  went 
down  into  the  central  part  of  the  State,  and  in  the  course 
of  eighteen  months  sold  about  ten  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  rights,  and  imposed  on  the  inhabitants  at  a 
great  rate.  Some  he  sold  for  seventy-6ve  dollars,  some 
twenty-five,  others  twelve,  and  he  would  leave  but  one 
book  for  four  rights.  When  he  came  round  again,  he 
would  borrow  my  book  and  leave  the  other,  and ,  sell  my 
book  again  to  another  set  of  four  or  five ;  and  io  con- 
tinned  until  he  had  c-old  all  mine,  and  nearly  all  the  oth- 
eri.  In  the  fall  of  1,826,  Ilorton  Howard  caused  a  letter 
to  be  sent  to  me,  giving  an  account  of  Milei'i  conduct, 
anrl  req>?<)sting  me  to  come  on  to  see  about  it,  I  arrived 
m  .January,  1827,  and,  following  after  Miles,  I  found  his 
conduct  to  be  as  haO  been  stated.  I  published  handbills, 
Bin]  otherwise  showing  that  he  had  no  authority  from  me 
to  do  as  he  had  done.  I  revoked  his  agency,  and  paci- 
fied the  rage  of  the  people  as  well  as  I  could,  by  r«stor> 
ing  the  family  right  to  those  to  whom  he  had  so  impro- 
perly sold  it,  and  besides  this,  I  lost  a  great  part  of  what 
he  owed  me. 

In  January  of  the  same  year,  I  made  Horton  Howard 
agent  for  the  Western  country,  with  authority  to  print 
my  book,  and  in  three  andngi  hftif  years,  he  had  printed 
about  six  thousand  copies,  andliold  about  four  thousand 
rights,  with  the  assistance  o£ JbpMiub-agents,  amounting 


in  all  to  abc 
different  tin 
him,  until  A 
ed  to   give 
had  but  one 
him  in  the  c 
willing  to  gi 
ficed  about  a 
pg  to  me. 
in    two  anni 
year.     I  rev 
August  9,  18 
,  fltead,  and  toi 
^eft  them  wit! 
The  practi 
western  State 
that  they  ha^ 
most  all  the  Si 
This  has  caus 
^d  has  been 
like  whipping 
to  spread  it  th^ 
Carolina,  whe 
fine  is  five  hut 
prisonment.     ' 
spirit  of  the  pe( 
the  complaint  ( 
It,   and  reques 
was  granted  hi 
of  the  patent, 
cine;  and  the 
^t.     If  perse( 
go  the  whole 
case,   and  the 
Had  I  not  obtj 
defended  their 
power  of  the  d 
as  to  a  dagon. 

But  the  derni 

practice  into  th 

agement,  ifpog 

my  Botanic  pr 

1 


Of  Samuel  Thomson. 


181 


oward 
print 
)nnted 
)usand 
unting 


in  all  to  about  eighty  thousand  dollars.  I  tried  at  several 
difierept  times  to  come  to  an  honorable  settlement  with 
him,  until  August,  1830,  at  which  time  he  utterly  refus- 
ed to  give  me  an  account  from  beginning.  I  then, 
had  but  one  alternative,  either  to  bring  an  action  against 
him  in  the  court  of  chancery,  or  else  take  what  he  was 
willing  to  give.  I  chose  the  latter,  by  which  I  sacri- 
ficed about  seven-eighths  of  what  should  have  been  com- 
ing to  me.  1  took  his  notes  for  four  thousand  dollars, 
in  two  annual  payments,  two  thousand  dollars  each 
year.  I  revoked  his  agency  in  two  days  afterwards, 
August  9,  1830,  and  appointed  four  other  agents  in  his 
stead,  and  took  about  two  thousand  copies  of  books,  and 
left  them  with  my  other  agents. 

The  practice  has  spread  rapidly  in  the  southern  and 
western  States,  which  has  so  much  alarmed  the  doctors, 
that  they  have  succeeded  in  getting  laws  passed,  in  al- 
most all  the  States,  to  prevent  the  spread  of  my  piractice.  g 
This  has  caused  me  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  expense, 
and  has  been  of  no  great  benefit  to  them.  It  has  been 
like  whipping  fire  among  the  leaves,  which  only  tends, 
to  spread  it  the  faster.  The  law  is  most  severe  in  South 
Carolina,  where  a  suit  was  attended  two  years  ago.  The 
fine  is  five  hundred  dollars  for  each  offence,  besides  im- 
prisonment. This  violent  outrage  roused  the  patriotic 
sjpirit  of  the  people,  insomuch  that  the  doctor  who  brought 
the  complaint  dared  not  come  before  the  court  to  support 
it,  and  requested  of  the  court  leave  of  absence,  which 
was  granted  him.  The  defence  was  made  on  the  ground 
of  the  patent,  and  by  proving  the  utility  of  the  medi- 
cine; and  the  case  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  defend- 
ant. If  persecutions  must  take  place,  let  persecutors  ■ 
go  the  whole  exte^it  of  their  power,  as  in  the  present 
case,  and  the  rights  of  the  people  will  be  defended. 
Had  I  not  obtained  a  patent,  the  people  could  not  have 
defended  their  rights;  but  must  have  bowed  down  to  the 
power  of  the  doctors,  they  having  the  law  on  their  side, 
as  to  a  dagon. 

But  the  dernier  resort  of  the  doctors  will  be  to  get  my 
practice  into  their  own  hands,  and  under  their  own  man- 
agement, if  possible.  Finding  that  I  should  succeed  in 
my  Botanic  practice,  certain  individuals  of  them  have 


16 


k    ^ 


182 


J^'arralAve  of  the  lafe,  Sfe. 


■et  up  what  they  call  a  reformed  college,  in  New  York, 
where  they  have  adopted  my  practice  as  far  as  they 
could  obtain  a  knowledge  of  it  from  those  who  had 
bought  the  right  of  me,  and  would  forfeit  their  word  and 
honor  to  give  them  instruction.    And  finding  that  the 
Botanic  practice  gained  very  fast  at  the  West, -they  have 
established  a  branch  of  their  reformed  college  in  Worth- 
ington,  Ohio.     I  saw  Dr.  ^teel,  last  winter,  who  is  the 
President  of  that  Institution,  I  was  introduced  to  him 
by  Mr,  Sealy,  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  Dr.  Steel 
was  introduced  to  me  as  President  -of  said  college.    I 
asked  him  if  he  was  President  of  that  reform  which  was 
stolen  from  Thomson,  in  New  York.    This  seemed  to 
strike  him  dumb  on  the  subject.    At  the  same  place,  a 
few  evenings  after,  I  was  introduced  to  one  of  the  prac- 
titioners under  this  reform,  who  studied  and  was  educat- 
ed at  the  college  in  New  York,  and  was  one  of  the  in- 
■tructers  at  Worthington.     I  asked  him  if  he  ever  saw  • 
any  of  my  books  in  the  college  in  New  York.     He  said 
he  had   accidentally  seen  one  there.     I  replied,  then 
you  accidentally  confess  that  my  books  were  studied  in 
that  college.     I  then  asked  him  whether  they  used  the 
lobelia.     He  said  they  did.     I  then  named  the  cayenne, 
rheumatic  drops,  bayberry  and  n^rve  powders.     He  con- 
fessed the^  used  them  all  in  manner  and  form,  as  I  had 
laid  down  m  my  books.     I  am,  therefore,  satisfied  that  if 
my  medicine  were  taken  from  them,  their  Institution 
would  not  be  worth  one  cent.    But,  to  have  bought  the 
right,  would  have  been  too  mean  for  such  dignitaries; 
but,  to  steal  it  from  a  qttack,  was,  perhaps,  in  their  esti- 
mation, much  more  honorable ! ! !     Every  honest  man 
who  hears  any  of  the  doctors  speak  of  those  colleges 
with  approbation,  ought  to  upbraid  thenf^  with  these  facts. 
In  1821,  while  instrucUngH.  Howard,  of  whom  men- 
tion has  been  made  above,  I  was  introduced  to  Governor 
Trimble,  and  gave  him  a  right.    He  had  a  consumptive 
wife,  whom  the  doctors  could  not  help.     I  gave  him  a 
sample  of  medicine,  and  what  instruction  I  could.    He 
went  home,  and  finding  her  worse,  and  no  person  un- 
derstanding the  medicine  within  fifty  miles,  he  took  the 
book  and  carried  her  through  a  course,  and  repeated  it; 
.  and  she  soon  got  well.    His  wife  and  nurse  cured  two 


T% 


^.: 


Of  Samuel  ThovMon, 


183 


other  women  with  the  same  sample  of  medicice  I  gave 
him.  The  enemies  of  the  practice,  said  that  they  ihnuld 
advertise  him  as  a  steam  doctor.  He  said  they  nsed  not 
take  that  trouble,  for  he  would  do  it  himself. 

The  practice  has  gained  a  respectable  standing  in 
nearly  all  the  States  in  the  Union,  and  also  in  Canada. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Henry  S.  Lawson,  has  published 
my  Guide  to  Health,  in  Buffalo,  and  sold  them  in  Canada; 
and  thus  made  a  great  speculation  from  my  discoveriea. 

In  1829,  Mr.  Samuel  Robinson,  delivered  before  the 
members  of  the  Friendly  Botanical  Society,  in  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio,  a  series  of  fifleen  lectures  on  "Medical 
Botany,"  denominated  the  Thomsonian  system  of  prac- 
tice. He  is  entitled  to  much  credit  for  this  service  d9ne 
to  the  system.  Those  lectures  were  delivered  without 
my  knowledge,  being  at  the  time  a  thousand  miles  from 
that  place.  Horton  Howard  obtained  them,  while  act- 
ing as  my  agent,  paid  for  them  out  of  my  money,  secur- 
ed the  copy  right  in  his  own  name,  and  printed  an  editioa 
of  them,  whicn  he  sold  lor  his  own  benefit.  This  book 
gave  a  great  spread  to  the  sale  of  riffhts.  I  have  since 
secured  the  copy  right  in  Boston,  and  printed  an  edition 
of  two  thousand  copies,  which  are  selling  from  fifty  to 
sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  a  copy.  They  contain  much 
information,  relative  to  the  practice  of  medicine,  as 
taught  in  medical  colleges,  and  found  in  medical  authors; 
not  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  so  small  and  so  cheap  a 
work. 

During  the  agency  of  Horton  Howard,  to  wit,  in  July, 
1829,  while  I  was  at  Columbus,  ho  returned  from  the 
South,  and  was  so  unwell  that  he  wrote  to  his  wife  at 
Tiffin,  about  eighty-four  miles,  that  if«he  ever  wished 
to  see  him  alive,  to  come  without  delay.  I  attended 
him  the  next  day  through  a  thorough  course  of  medi- 
cine, and  relieved  him,  insomuch  that  I  have  not  heard 
of  his  being  sick  since.  His  wife  arrived  in  about  four 
days,  when,  finding  him  about  house,  and  well,  she  took 
him  around  the  neck  and  burst  into  tears.  I  retorted  in 
her  behalf,  saying,  '*you  are  not  half  so  bad  as  I  hoped 
you  would  be."  This  tended  to  dry  her  tears,  ana  it 
passed  oflT  with  a  laugh.  ,  The  next  day  we  all  calcu- 
lated to  go  north,  towards  the  lake.    The  day  before 


184 


JVbrra/tve  0/  the  Life,  Sfc. 


we  were  to  start,  about  twelve  o'clock,  he  had  word  that 
his  8on-iti-law,  Samuel  1^  orrow,  was  at  the  point  ot  death, 
and  requested  that  some  of  the  family  would  come  as 
soon  as  possible..^  Mr.  Howard  and  wife  concluded  to 
go,  and  insisted  on  my  going  with  th^m.  1  with  much 
reluctance  consented.  We  started  at  three  o'clock,  on 
Friday,  with  two  horses  and  a  wagon,  and  arrived  there 
on  Saturday,  about  sun-set,  a  distance  of  eighty*six 
miles.  Mr.  Horton  drove  all  the  way,  night  and  day, 
notwithstanding  he  was  calculating  to  die  about  five  or 
six  days  before.  We  found  Mr.  !k*orrow  very  sick;  but 
one  of  the  patent  doctors  was  there.  I  gave  him  but 
little  that  night,  merely  a  pinch  of  cayenne,  as  snutF,  as 
he  had  the  catarrh,  and  was  much  stuffed  on  the  lungs. 
In  the  morning,  Sunday,  I  carried  him  through  a  course 
of  medicine,  which  roused  the  opium,  that  remained  in 
his  system,  into  action,  as  though  it  had  been  but  just 
taken.  He  tu^pbled  and  thrashed  about  in  his  frenzy 
for  about  four  hours,  when  he  became  composed.  He 
was  then  steamed,  when  the  medicine  operate  d,  which, 
together  with  the  heat,  roused  the  physic  into  action, 
which  run  him  hard  with  a  relax.  I  tried  to  restore  the 
digestive  powers,  but  could  not  on  account  of  his  not 
beinj  clear.  I  was  obliged  to  carry  him  through  a  second 
course  in  thirty-six  hours,  instead  of  going  turty-eight, 
as  I  had  calculated.  We  began  with  him  at  dark.  6ut 
as  soon  as  the  medicine  took  hold  of  the  opium,  it  re- 
newed its  operation,  which  continued  eiffht  hours.  His 
relatives  stood  on  their  feet,  about  ten  in  number,  ex- 
pecting to  see  him  die  before  morning.  I  lay  down  on 
the  floor  until  the  flounce  began  to  abate.  Luring  six 
hours  there  was  not  one  second  that  he  was  still.  He 
continually  called  for  water,  and  drank  about  ten  quarts 
in  the  course  of  the  night.  About  three  o'clock  in>  the 
morning,  he  began  to  be  a  little  stiller,  resting  two  or 
three  seconds  at  a  time.  He  began  to  inquire  who  those 
black  people  were,  Which  he  fancied  were  there,  and 
what  they  were  there  for,  and  niany  other  similar  ex- 
pressions, which  showed  that  his  senses  were  returning, 
but  were  not  yet  regular.  I  then  told  Mr.  Howard  and 
the  family,  that  they  had  better  go  to  bed,  and  I  would 
attend  him,  with  one  of  his  aisteri,  the  remainder  of  the 


Of  SavMul  Thommm. 


185 


ni^ht.  The  medicine  theo  began  to  operate,  after  the 
opium  had  all  distilled  off.  He  vomited  powerfully  about 
eight  times,  when  he  appeared  to  be  clear  of  disorder. 
I  filled  him  well  with  milk-porridge,  and  was  in  readi- 
ness to  steam  him  when  the  family  arose.  He  waii 
steamed,  ate  breakfast,  and  rode  out  in  the  course  of  the 
day.  I  prepared  a  syrup  for  his  relax,  of  the  black 
cherry  root  bark,  made  into  a  strong, tea,  as  strong  as 
the  same  quantity  of  bark  pounded  would  make;  I  then 
added  peach  or  cherry  stone  meats  pounded,  then  added 
one  pound  of  loaf  sugar,  and  one  pint  of  brandy,  which 
made  two  junk  bottles  of  syrup,  to  drink  on  the  way. 
On  Wednesday,  about  ten  o'clock,  Mr.  Howard  and  wife, 
Mr.  Forrow  and  wife,  and  myself,  started  for  Columbus, 
and  staid  at  Wanesville  that  uight,  about  fourteen  miles. 
He  stood  the  ride  well,  as  air  and  exercise,  when  the 
disorder  is  removed,  are  as  necessary  for  patients  as  their 
food.  He  was  persuaded  to  stay  on  Thursday.  On 
Friday,  we  travelled  to  Charlestown,  about  thirty  miles, 
and  arrived  at  Columbus  on  Sunday  about  noon.  In 
the  afternoon.  Gov.  Trimble  paid  him  a  visit,  taking 
great  interest  in  his  welfare.  Mr.  Forrow  was  a  noted 
man  in  the  State,  being  a  surveyor  and  superintendent 
of  the  Dayton  Canal.  The  governor  seemed  highly 
pleased  at  the  unexpected  recovery  of  the  maq^^and  th^ 
more  particularly  when  I  told  him  that  it  was  just  one 
week  that  day  since  I  administered  to  him  on  a  suppos- 
ed dying  bed,  and  that  he  had  since  been  conveyed 
eighty-six  miles  in  a  wagon,  and  was  able  to  walk  about, 
and  was  clear  of  disease.  He  staid  at  Columbus  but 
two  days,  when  he  went  on  with  Mr.  Howard  to  Tiffin, 
about  as  much  further,  and  arrived  safe  in  four  days,  his 
health  still  gaining.  I  staid  there  with  him  about  four 
days,  and  then  started  across  the  woods  to  New  Haven. 
He  paid  me  twenty-five  dollars;  but  I  would  not  have 
taken  the  risk  again  for  five  hundred.  In  fact  it  was 
risking  ray  own  life  to  save  his. 

Thus  I  havC'  given  a  few  prominent  items,  though  but 
a  small  proportion  of  my  experience,  sufferings,  perplex- 
ities and  difficulties,  since  the  second  edition  of  this 
work  was  published.  But  much  of  that  which  operatcijd 
to  my  disadvantage,  as  an  individual,  served  to  exi  " 
16* 


ifM' 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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11.25 


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lU  Uii   12.2 


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uuu 

1.4    11.6 


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23  WIST  MAIN  tTRIIT 

WIUTH.N.V.  I4IN 

(7l«)t7a-4l03 


;\ 


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J^ramOmof  ^  Z4fe,  ^e. 


■*^*wS 


tiM  kti6#ledge  and  practice  of  the  sjttem.  This  gives 
fne  Dotieoliition  iii  the  ^tdst  of  aU  my  trials;  and  con- 
aideHng  the  B^ianical  practice  as  being  now  well  estab- 
Huhed, '  i  thitik  it  is  titrie  for  m^  to  retire  fVoin  the  field 
ftf  eonfest  and  war  with  either  learned  ignorance  or  legal 
opfKMMtion. 

''I  have'cblleeled  abotit  three  hundred  weight  of  the 
gulden  toal  the  year  pairt,  and  a  large  quantity  of  cay- 
enii<6  frdm  the  island  of  Madagascar;  n^^rly  three  tons. 
t  have  sent  to  the  southern  States  nearly  twenty  bar- 
teli;  flouiredy  which  is  a  gi^at  heip^in  the  agues  of  that 
c<Mmtry. 

And  here  it  is  pf6per  to  remark,  that  great  imposifioiU 
are  ^^ractised  oh  "^h'iit  is  called  the  American  cayenne. 
The  doctora  havei  d^lared  it  to  be  poison,  and  d«struc- 
tite  to  health,  ««#i  think  they  have  made  it  as  bad  as 
they  hav^  rdnt^eMlited  it  to  be.  It  appeairs  to  be  mixed 
n^th  some  red  paint  or  mineral.  When  bufnt,  it  leaves 
about  t#o^fhirds  of nhe  quantity,  of  the  blackest  sub- 
itanc«.  When  taken  iyiwardly  j  it  produces  violent  vom- 
itfaijl^  aiid  ought  to  be  shunned  as  a  mad  dog.  There 
ia  JMft  little  or  none  sold  at  the  groceries  for  ordinary 
^rpoa^  hut  of  this  kind.  The  only  safe  way  to  detect 
the  poiflM^iB  to  try  it  by  burning.  If  it  be  pure,  there 
will  heitP^oportiott  of  ashes  as  of  other  tegetables,  and 
<lf  a  Ugiit  color;  if  it  bci  bad,  the  ashee  will  not  only  be 
hfoek)  hut  there  will  be  double,  and  perhaps  triple  or 
quadruple  the  quantity  there  should  be  for  the  quantity 

rnt;-  ■ 


xnt  '^~v- 


A.  bru/  9ummary  fif.the    CertiJicaUs   and    StatemenU 
'     til#Aic4'  aecompaimed  the  (too  former  ediiiom. 

%  Tbs  fjratem  and  practice  of  Iht  Samuel  Thomsoit 
having  4>een  so  long  before  the  public,  and  the  numer- 
ana  bertiicatea  given  in  the  two  first  editions  of  his 
Narrative  being  ao  weU  known  and  understood,-  it  is 
tiMMight  not  expedieBt  to  give  ^lem  here  in  full;  But  only 
substance  of  them  abridg<|||,  and  in  lieu  fhereof,  to 
new  and  mote  reo^iibasea.        .I.^;' 


^/  Samul  Th'msenf 


m 


Of  the  cases  ttlready  published,  it  is  proper  to  men- 
tidB  that  of  the  Difienteryj  in  Jerioho,  Vermont,  in 
October,  1807,  where  bat  two  ont  of  twenty-two,  lived, 
that  #ere  under  the  care  of  the  regular  physicians.  Dr. 
TkonM&H  was  sent  for,  130  miles;  he  arrived  in  five 
diiys;  in  three  days,  thirty  were  codimitted  to  his  care, 
and  in  eight  days,  by  the  use  of  his  medicine^  the  town 
was  cleared  of  the  disease,  with  the  loss  of  two  only, 
who  were  past  cune  before  he  saw  them.  Testified  by 
John  Portbr.  A  case«  of  Salt  Rheum)  of  thirty  years 
standing,  cured  in  Portsmouth,  May,  1813.  Certified 
by  ELrzABETH  MARsiiAiiL.  The  case  of  Spotted  Fever, 
in  Ek»tham,  county  of  Barnstable,  Mass:  where  upwards 
offorty  had  died  by  the  1st  of  May^  and  but  few  lived 
Who  had  the  fever.  Dr.  Thomson  was  called  on  for  as- 
sistance; sold  the  right  of  using  his  nlQiiclne  to  several 
individual,  *who,  in  one  month,  rellmred  upwards  of 
thirty  who  were  seized  with  this  violent  disease,  with 
the  loss  of  but  one.  At  the  same  time  and  place,  those 
who  were  attended  by  th6  ifegular  physicians,  eleven  out 
of  twelve  died.  Testified  ^  PHiLANniiR'  Shaw,  Mfn" 
iHer  ofEektham;  Onsn  Kkowles,  one  of  the  Selectmen; 
SAktTBL  Freeman,  Do.  ;  Hardi^o  KnowlEs,  JtMftce  o^ 
^  Peace f  and  JdSBPfeL  Mato,  ^ent  for  the  Si^y;  amd 
PostMasltr,  A  case  of  Rheumatiskn,  of  long  Handing, 
and  many  others,  more  than  twelve  of  a  consumptioli, 
one  of  mortification,  one  of  a  dropsy,  oneof  numb-palsjr, 
and  others  of  divets  diseases,  testified  by  Alexander' 
Rice,  K^tenj,  JVor.  20,  1821.  ' 

Five  cases  of  consumption,  supposed  1o  be  desperate, 
w*ere  relieved  in  the  course  of  three  weeks,  and  all  6f 
them  restored  to  health.  A  CRSe  of  the  dropsy,  consid- 
ered hopeless,  was  Cured  in  one  we^k.  Testified  by 
John  Burgin,  Jerry  Buroin,  and  Solomon  Rice,  Eaat-' 
p^rtf  July  20,  1821.  The  character  and  respectability 
of  the  above  witnesses  are  confirmed  by  J.  R.  Chad- 
bourne,  Justice  of  Peace,  The  case  of  SetM^Mason, 
Portland^  whose  case  was  truly  a  desperitfe  one,  and  his 
recovery  exceeded  aH  expectation.  Also,  the  case  of 
Mrs.  Sally  Keating,  of  the  same  place,  who,  after  beins 
doctored  a  whole  year  by  the  first  physician  in  Portlimd! 
had  been  given  over  as  incurable.    She  was  recov^lpl . 


I9B 


Jffiteraiheof  ih^  JUfi^  $fc. 


to  an  exoeUeni  state  of  health.  Testified  by  $.  Sewkll, 
Scarborough,  Jan,  1,  18^.  Several  other  umilar  cases 
are  testified  by  S.  Sewell,  not  necessary  to  be  here,  par- 
ticularized. A  number  of  cases,  several  of  which,  the 
patients  were  given  over  as  incurable  by  the  regular  phy- 
sicians, were  all  relieved  and  cured  by  Dr.  Thomson,  as 
testified  by  Jabesc  Tvlve,  Elder  of  the  BaptiH  Church  in 
SatUbury,  Dec.  5,  1821. 

The  case  of  Elder  Bolles  was  a  very  extraordinary 
one.  He  was  supposed  to  be  in  the  very  last  stage  of 
a  consumption,  and  was  cured.  John  Lemmon  was 
also  cured  of  a  consumption;  Isaac  Perkins's  wife  was 
€ured  of  a.  dropsy  of  a  desperate  nature;  all  of  wfaidh 
cures  are  testified  by  Wiluah  Raymo2^]>,  who  says,  **m 
these  cures  i  was  well  knowing  to*  having  been  done  at 
that  time;"  wbif^l^  statement  is  alao  confirmed  by  Key. 
£.  Williams,  not  only  as  it  regai:ds  Elder  Bolles,  but 
also  as  it  regards  Ezra  ,Lovett,  ,on  account  of  whose 
death,  Dr.  Thomson  was  .indicted  for  murder,  and  tried 
for  his  life,  about  a  year  afterwards;  but  he  was  hon- 
orably acquitted)  witnout  having  an  occasion,  or  even 
an  opportunity  of  making  his  defenee.  Mr.  Lovett  was 
first  relieved}  then  experienced  a  relapse  of  his  disorder, 
in  consequence,  of  taking  cold,  by  walking  out  some  dis- 
tance <||  a  very  cold  day^  in  the  month  of  pecembeir. 
Dr.  Thomson  was  sent  for;  but  on  peeing  him,  he  im- 
mediately e^tpressed  doubts  of  his  being  able  to  help 
him.  ^e  gave,  him  medicine  wrhich  had  no  efiect;  and 
two  respectable  physicians  were  sent  for,  and  came,  un- 
der whose  care  he  was  twelve  heura  before  he  died.  .  Yet 
auch  was  the  malice  and  prejudice  ef  the  doctors,  that 
they  seized  upon  this  case,  and  tried  to  make  it  out 
mueder,  in  order  to  destroy  both  Dr.  Thomson  and  his 
practice.  v 

Next  follows  a  long  statement  of  the  diseases  and  man- 
ner of  treatment,  by  Dr.  Thomson's  system  and  direct 
tions,  i|d  the  benefit  received  under  the  administration 
of  his  medicine;  by  Stephen  NbaIi,  Esq.,  of  Eliot, 
Maine,  A  similar  statement  by  Jo^n  Raitt,  of  the  same 
place,  £/M><,JVb«.  28,  1821. 

The  case  of  Mary  Eaton,  which  was  a  dropsy,  had 
^jilin  pronounced  hopeless  by  «  consultation  of  four  doc- 


tors,   i 

Sheppai 

reach  o: 

three  wc 

to  see  1 

about fin 

gained  u 

of  heaitl 

(Signed) 

An  0X1 

Coleman 

ceiving  t 

naedicine, 

fi>rtably  f 

Ephraim 

Ayoun 

known,  hi 

ing  himse 

quite  conif 

was  no  mc 

if  his  head 

called  to  s< 

he  was  ali 

thousand  th 

Testified  b 

cine  that  gj 

or  four  daj 

about  the  n 


Although 
testimony,  b 
recent,  and 
duty  I  owe  t 
state  it,  whi< 
Thomson's  v 

I  have  for 
▼ery  much  pi 
ed  of  quacke 
ened  by  havii 
ft  quack  docti 


Of  Samuel  Thomson,, 


189 


had 
I  doc- 


tors. She  continued,  however,  under  the  care  of  Dr. 
Sheppard,  until  he  said  her  complaint  was  beyond  the 
reach  of  medicine,  and  that  she  could  not  continue  over 
three  weeks.  At  this  time,  May,  1808)  she  says,  <'  I  went 
to  see  Dr.  Thomson,  and  in  three  weeks  I  was  reduced 
about  fifteen  inches  in  bigness.  I  returned  home  and  have 
gained  until  this  day ;  and  am  now  enjoying  a  better  state 
of  health  than  I  had  before  enjoyed  for  sixteen  years." 
(Signed)  Mary  EAtoif,'  Exeter,  jYov.  20,  1821. 

An  extraordinary  case  of  Asthma,  of  Mrs.  Hannah 
Coleman,  who  had  applied  to  six  physicians  without  re- 
ceiving any  beneficial  effect,  by  using  Dr.  Thomson's 
medicine,  she  was  enabled  to  lay  in  bed  and  rest  com- 
fortably for  twelve  years,  as  testified  by  her  husband, 
Ephraim  Coleman,  JVetotnoffon,  Dec.  3,  1821. 

A  young  man  in  Roxbury,  who  from  some  cause  un- 
known, had  taken  ratsbane  with  the  intention  of  destroy- 
ing himself,  was  so  relieved  that  the  next  morning  he  was 
quite  conifortabh.  Dr.  P.  who  had  been  called,  said  there 
was  no  more  chance  for  him  to  live  than  there  would  be 
if  his  head  were  cut  off.  After  he  was  relieved,  Dr.  P. 
called  to  see  him  and  expressed  great  astonishment  that 
he  was  alive,  saying  that  there  was  not  one  case  in  a 
thousand  that  a  man  could  live  under  similar  circumstances. 
Testified  by  Elijah  Simons,  who  administered  the  medi- 
cine that  gave  relief,  and  who  says,  **  I  attended  him  three 
or  four  days,  and  he  is  now  so  far  recovered  as  to  walk 
about  the  room."    Roxbury,  Feb.  ^,  IQ2\. 

Additional  TeBtimony. 

Although  there  is  no  real  occasion  to  add  any  mor6 
testimony,  by  way  of  certificates,  yet  as  my  case  is  more 
recent,  and  my  name  may  have  some  weight,  I  feel  it  a 
duty  I  owe  to  the  public,  as  well  as  to  Dr.  Thomson,  to 
state  it,  which  I  dd  as  editor  of  the  present  edition  of  Dr. 
Thomson's  works,  1831.  ll 

I  have  for  many  years  b^en  opposed  to,  and  latterly 
very  much  prejudiced  against,  every  thing  which  savor- 
ed of  quackery,  which  prejudices  were  greatly  strength- 
ened by  having  once  been  egregiously  imposed  upon  by 
a  quack  doctor,  (I  forbear  giving  his  name  for  his  rela- 


190 


^arrtUine  of  tlu  JUfi,  Sfc. 


* 
tions'  sake,  though  he  is  now  not  living,)  of  whom  I 

bought  the  skill,  as  he  said,  of  curing  cancers;   but 

which  proved  to  be  nothing  but  a  gross  imposition  on  the 

public;   hence,  after  trying  the  experiment  on  several, 

^without  effect,  though  it  would  effectually  remove  tu- 
mors not  cancerous,  I  declined  the  practice  altogether, 
lost  my  trouble,  together  with  what  I  had  paid  for  the 
skill,  besides  experiencing  the  mortifipation  of  having 
been  thus  dipped  by  a  man  void  of  principle  and  mord 
honesty. 

It  was  under  these  feelings,  that  the  Thomsonian 
system  was  first  recommended  for  my  daughter  who  had 
what  had  been  first  called  a  white  swelling,  then  a  fevet 
sore,  but  lastly,  by  Dr.  Thomson,  a  mercury  sore,  on  her 
arm,  in  the  elbow  joint,  for  nearly  four  years.  The 
best  encouragement  she  could  get  from  the  regular  phy- 

.sicians  was,  either  to  have  it  amputated  to  save  life,  or 

; (which  was  the  advice  of  Dr.  Warren)  to  lay  by  entire- 
ly, and  not  to  use  it.  She  thought  she  should  be  in  a 
manner  useless  herself,  without  her  arm;  for  it  was  her 
right  arm,  and  if  she  was  not  to  use  it,  she  might  lose 
it  almost  as  well  es  not.  Under  these  impressions,  she 
was  induced  to  try  the  Thomsonian  system,  under  the 
direction  of  Mrs.  Holman.  It  was  soon  found  to  have  a 
salutary  effect.     In  a  very  few  weeks  it  was  better  than 

4t  had  been  before  for  more  than  three  years.  A  great 
part  of  the  time,  her  arm  had  been  so  stiff  that  she  could 
not  raise  her  hand  to  her  head.  It  is  now  entirely  well, 
and  her  general  health  much  improved;  better  than  it 
has  been  for  a  number  of  years;  for  she  has  been  sick 
every  few  years  with  fevers,  or  with  what  was  called  the 
liver  complaint,  ever  since  she  had  the  typhus  fever  in 
1812,  when  she  was  but  a  child.  The  favorable  re- 
sult the  medicine  had  on  her,  softened  the  prejudices 
very  much,  which  I  had,  till  then,  entertained  against 
it;  though  they  were  not  entirelv  removed,  nor  was  she 
entire||  well,  when  I  was  attacked  with  the  fever  ^nd 
ague,  which  I  considered,  but  a  presace  to  the  return  of 
the  fever  I  had  last  fall,  which  I  caught  in  travelling  on 
the  Erie  Canal,  and  from  which  I  did  but  just  recover. 
After  the  second  attack  with  the  ague,  I  was  taken  down 
.witb  the  bilious  fever,  and  w«ui  more  yipl^ipitly  stized 


\f 


I  could  n 

entirely  i 

sleep,  an 

have  hi|d 

After  I 

but  witho 

day  for  ft 

ed  the  re^ 

omitting 

them,  till 

to  say  tha 

me,  or  thi 

that  my  li: 

enjoying, 

first  instai 

the  skill  ; 

which,  it  i 

ment,  the 

applied  by 

been  sent 

ger  was  in 

Whethe 

taking  cole 

poisons  wh 

system  wa: 

to  say;    th 

the  facts  a 

be  the  mea 

tern  in  the 

I  have  in  v 

It  is  trikj,  t 

the  medicii] 

but  this  did 

I  took  a  rel 


Of  Samuel  Thornton, 


191 


than  I  was  last  fall;  and  had  I  received  the  same  treat- 
ment which  I  did  then,  I  have  no  idea  that  I  could  have 
recovered,  as  my  fever  at  that  time  run  twelve  days  be- 
fore it  formed  a  crisis;  and  then  it  was  three  weeks  aAer 
that,  before  I  was  able  to  be  about.  But  under  the 
Thomsonian  system,  the  crisis  was  formed  in  just  about 
forty  hours  from  the  time  I  commenced  taking  the  medi- 
cine; at  which  time  I  lay,  as  I  have  been  informed,  for 
I  could  not  measure  the  time,  seven  or  eight  hours  in  an 
entirely  unconscious  state ;  after  which  I  tell  into  a  sweet 
sleep,  and  awoke  in  the  morning  free  from  all  f6ver,  and 
have  hi^d  none  since.  * 

After  about  ten  days,  however,  the  chills  returned; 
but  without  any  fever,  which  I  had  regularly  every  other 
day  for  four  or  five  weeks.  To  wear  out  these,  I  pursu- 
ed the  regular  course  of  medicine,  every  few  days,  not 
omitting  injections,  as  often  as  I  felt  any  occasion  for 
them,  till  the  chijls  left  me  entirely,  and  I  am  now  happy 
to  say  that  I  am  not  aware  that  I  have  any  disease  about 
me,  or  that  I  ever  enjoyed  better  health.  All,  therefore, 
that  my  life. is  now  worth  to  me,  and  all  that  I  am  now 
enjoying,  or  shall, hereafter  emoy,  I  must  impute,  in  the 
first  instance,  to  the  Thomsonian  system,  together  with 
the  skill  and  faithfulness  with  which  it  was  applied; 
which,  it  is  but  justice  to  say,  in  the  most  critical  mo- 
ment, the  medicine  that  apparently  saved  my  life,  was 
applied  by  Mrs.  Holman;  for  although  Dr.  Thomson  had 
been  sent  for  iii  the  night,  yet  before  he  arrived  the  dan- 
ger was  in  a  manner  oVer. 

Whether  the  relapse  I  took  was  in  consequence  of 
taking  cold,  or  in  consequence  of  the  mercury  and  other 
poisons  which  I  had  formerly  taken,  and  from  which  my 
system  was  not  entirely  cleansed,  I  shall  not  undertake 
to  say;  the  doctor  says,  the  latter;  I  have  only  stated 
the  facts  as  I  felt  aad  experienced  them;  and  should  it 
be  the  means  of  giving  others  confidence  to  try  the  sys- 
tem in  the  most  difficult  cases,  it  will  answer  the  object 
I  have  in  view  in  thus  making  them  more  publicly  known. 
It  is  troe,  the  pain  of  the  disease,  or  of  the  operation  of 
the  medicine,  or  of  both,  was  at  first  most  excruciating; 
but  this  did  not  discourage  me  from  trying  it  again,  when 
I  took  a  relapse;   and  the  operation  became  more  and 


Mm 


m 


Ik 


1^ 


Jfarraike  of  ike  I^e^^c, 


more  vai4f  as  tk^  disease  went  off,  tiU  it  was  attended 
wit)i  but  very  Uttle  inconvenience. 

ABNER  KNEELAND. 


MOVICE. 


I  hereby  appoint  Abner  Kneeland,  editor  of  the 
Boston  Inyeatij^ator,  Agept,  generally,  but  not  exclu- 
8i?ely,  throughout  the  United  States,  to  receive  and  an- 
swer my  letters,  to  sell  the  Rights  to  my  Botanical  Sys- 
tem of  Practice  in  Medicine,  and  my  Books  containmg 
a  Narrative  of  my  Life  and  System  of  Practice,  and  to 
attend  to  aU  matters  and  things  expressed  or  implied  in 
the  above  agency,  especially  during  my  absence,  the 
same  as  I  should  or  could  do  if  present,  and  the  agencies 
of  E.  G.  House  and  John  Locke,  are  hereby  revoked. 

SAMUEL  THOMSON. 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 

The  Subscriber  having  been  Appointed  Agent  for  Dr.  Sah- 
UEii  Thomson,  as  above  statied,  ail  letters  incehded  for  the  Doc- 
tor, may  be  addressed  enher  to  him  or  to  the  Subscriber,  as  all 
the  Doctor's  letters  come  into  the  box  of  the  Investigator,  and 
of  couHKi  into  the  liands  of  the  Suliecriber,  who  will  l^eep  Fam- 
ily Rights,  with  the  Books  containing  the  System  of  Practice, 
constantly  for  sale  at  the  lnv«>8iigaior  Office ;  and  who  will 
appoint  sub-ageiitfl^  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Doc- 
tor, wl«en,  and  wherever  they  shall  be  thought  necefsary,,'and 
will  also  iceep  the  Medicine  for  wile  at  the  same  prices,  bnd  as 
low  as  it  can  be  bought  of  the  Patentee,  and  the  patronage  in 
this  hne,  which  the  public  are  dis|K>fled  to  give,  will  he  grate- 
fully received  by  the  public's  obedient  servant, 

ABNER  KN£ELAND. 


O'jnttinini 
pro6tabi 
if  not  to 


As  hon 
enriches  o 
may  add  o 

About  t 
thirty  to  fi 
I  had  a  go 
of  a  swarn 

Afte^ab 
lack  on  m 
was  their 
©very  pers< 
as  well  as 
the  aummc 
mostly  in 
than  all  th] 
of  the  bees 
I  then  tool 
^e  cause  n 
be  idle  in  tl 
^d  I  foun] 
bees.    I  ha 
large  enouj 
swarm  of  i 
dearly  one 
tlunn  from  L 
small  at  firsl 
that  had  no| 
room  for  the 


k 


TO  THB  THIRD  SDIKTIOir  OF  TBB  HARKATITB. 

OjoUining  tome  new  remarks,  whieh  may  be  pleMing,  if  not 
pro6uble|  to  the  reader ;  and  add  to  the  bigneaa  of  the  book, 
if  not  to  the  stock  «f  knowledge. 


V- 


CtdHvoKofi  of  Beei. 

As  honey  adds  to  the  quality  of  medicine,  as  well  as 
enriches  our  food,  I  think  a  short  treatise  on  this  subject 
may  add  one  particle  to  the  stock  of  useful  knowledge. 

About  twenty  years  of  my  life,  from  the  age  of  from 
tkirty  to  fifty  years,  I  attended  to  the  keeping  of  bees. 
I  had  a  good  farm,  and  used  to  calculate  that  the  profits 
of  a  swarm  of  bees  was  as  much  as  thallt>f  a  cow. 

Aftet'  about  fifteen' years,  I  found  that  there  was  some 
lack  OB  my  part  to  enable  them  to  be  as  induw^r'ous  as 
was  their  nature  and  disposition;  as  it  is  obvious  to 
every  person  who  has  paid  any  attention  to  the  subject, 
as  well  as  to  my  own  obsenration,  that  dUHng  the  heat  of 
the  summer,  and  at  a  time  when  the  white  clover  is 
mostly  in  bloom,'  from  which  more  honey  is  obtainei 
than  all  the  other  flowers  of  the  field,  that  a  great  piirt 
of  the  bees  lire  on  the  outside  of  the  hive,  and  are  idle. 
I  then  took  the  matter  intdt  consideration,  to  ascertain 
the  cause  why  so  industrious  an  iiosect  as  the  bee  should 
be  idle  in  the  best  |>art  of  the  season  for  making  honey; 
and  I  found  the  fault  to  be  in  the  owner,  not  in  the 
bees.  I  had  inade  their  hive  much  too  small,  being  only 
large  enough  for  a  quart  of  bees,  when  I  had  put  in  a 
swarm  of  nearly  half  a  bushel;  so.  that  their  hive  was 
nearly  one  third  full  of  bees,  and  thereby  prevented 
them  from  having  room  to  work.  The  space  which  was 
small  at  first,  was  soon  filled  with  honey,  and  the  bees 
that  had  no  room  were  crowded  on  the  outside,  to  give 
room  for  the  rest.    Hence  the  cause  of  all  this  idleness. 

n 


h 


194 


JVarrofive  of  the  Life,  4fe, 


■'■^ 


In  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  owner  of  beea  will  try  the 
weiffht  ot  his  hives,  and  if  in  any  one  he  thinks  there  is 
not  honey  enough  to  winter  the  bees,  he  will  take  them 
up,  and  thus  save  from  five  to  ten  pounds  of  honey; 
wnen  at  the  same  time,  if  the  owner  had  made  the  hive 
large  enough,  so  that  all  would  have  hiBid  room  to  work, 
they  would  have  made  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  pounds  of 
honey;  would  have  had  enough  to  live  on  through  the 
winter,  or,  if  taken  up,  would  have  been  a  valuable  prize 
to  the  owner.  This  mode  of  raising  bees  is  too,  much 
like  the  labor  of  mankind.  A  few  industrious  ones  la- 
bor, and  many  lazy  or  idle  ones  help  eat  up  all  the  pro- 
fits; and  if  any  starve,  of  are  taken  up,  the  industrious 
ones  sufier  as  much  as  any;  with  mankind,  generally 
more.  But  to  remedy  this  evil  with  bees,  is  much  easier 
than  to  remedy  it  with  mankind. 

A  few  of  the  last  years  of  my  keeping  bees,  I  made 
some  improvement,  in  order  to  aid  and  assist  this  profita- 
ble insect  in  the  making  of  honey.  I  did  it  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner.  Instead  of  making  my  hives  to  hold 
frym  a  bushel  %  a  bushel  and  a  half,  I  made  the  first 
to  hold  three  bushels,  and  put  in  a  swarm  from  on^ 
of  my  small  hives,  and  made  my  observations.  I  noticed 
in  the  summer,  that  there  were  no  idle  bees.  In  the  fall, 
I  found  it  heavy,  but  not  full.  They  wintered  well. 
The  next  season,  they  worked  well;  but  did  not  swarm. 
This  hive  did  so  well,  I  piit  a  swarm  into  a  four  bushel 
liive  this  season.^  They  worked  well  until  fall,  at  which 
time  I  found  the' other  large  hive,  which,  had  the  work 
of  two  seasons,  fi41.  I  had  previously  learied  that  one 
good  hog  of  eighteen  months  old,  was  worth  more  than 
three  shoats  at  six  months  old.  I  concluded  to  try  the 
same  rule  with  the  bees.  I  took  up  the  old  hive,  ^  and 
took  out  160  pounds  weight  of  the  handsomest, comb  I 
ever  saw.  I  followed  the  same  plan  with  <^e  other  la^^e 
hive,  and  at  eighteen  months  old,  I  found  that  full  also. 
I  then  took  it  up,  and  took  out  two  hundred  weight  of 
honey,  equal  to  the  other.  In  this  way  I  was  satisfied 
that  by  putting  a  swarm  into  a  large  hive  every  year,  and 
have  one  to  take  up,  was  as  mnch  better  than  to  make 
small  hives,  .as  to  have  one  goo.d  hog  instead  of  two  or 
three  shoats.   ,  v^ 


I'didi 
what  exti 
ried.  Bi 
those  swi 
only  hav 
would  hi 
Then  by 
swarm,  a 
«qually  gi 
may  be  si 

I  will 
to  some, 
hive,  we 
gave  awa' 
cuit  Ind' 
round,  I  I 
men  who  i 
ed,  '«Ha! 
"Yes." 
such  a  foo 
41  notch  in 
and  Carrie 
lars.    Thi 
it  away, 
company  v 
up  your  be 
**  And  did 
answer  wa 
He  repHe( 
ing  them.* 
which  I  ha 
*way   J  wi 
tiierefore, 
cannot  Jiv< 
b^lgins  the 
c^serve  a 
fool,  in  the 
thing  whici 
not  keep  a 
■   Q'Jiestwn. 
like  a  hiv( 
year? 


4 


Of  8&mml  ^phMMoii. 


196 


I«di<l  not  try  the  experiment  long  enough  to  know  to 
what  extent  this  mode  of  cultivating  bees  might  be  car- 
ried. But  I  am  satisfied  that  if  1  had  kept  either  of 
those  swarms  over,  afler  they  were  full,  that  I  should  not 
only  have  had  a  swarm  from  that  hive,  but  that  they 
would  have  filled  one  of  equal  size  the  first  season. 
Then  by  increasing  the  size  of  the  hive  to  that  of  the 
swarm,  and  keeping  but-a  few  swarms,  they  may  be  all 
equally  good.  But  be  careful  .not  to  overstock;  for  bees 
may  be  starved  in  this  way  as  well  as  other  stock. 

1  will  here  relate  an  anecdote,  which  may  be  6f  use 
to  some.  At  the  time  of  my  taking  up  my  first  large 
hive,  we  asked  some  neighbors  in,  to  eat  honey.  I 
gave  away  about  one  hundred  weight  of  honey,  with  bis- 
cuit Snd  butter  answerable.  Before  the  season  came 
round,  I  bought  a  few  pounds  in  presence  of  one  of  the 
men  who  partook  most  liberally  of  the  bounty.  He  ask- 
ed, **  Have  you  got  rid  of  all  your  honey?"  *I  replied, 
**  Yes."  **  Why,"  said  he,  **you  should  not  have  been 
such  a  fool  as  to  have  given  ft  all  away."  Here  I  madi 
a  notch  in  my  memory.  The  next  fall  I  fbok  up  my  bees, 
and  carried  honey  endbgh  to  Walpole,  to  fetch  ten  dol- 
lars. This  I  thought  better  than  to  be  twitted  for  giving 
it  away.  However,  in  the  course  of  the  fall,  I  was  in 
company  with  the  same  man ;  he  asked,  **Have  you  taken 
tip  you  r  bees  ? "  *  *  Yes, '  *  was  the  answer.  He  rejoiBed, 
**  And  did  you  ask  in  the  neighbors  to  eat  honey  ?"  My 
answer  was,  '*  No;  I  carried  it  to  Walpole  and  sold  it." 
He  replied^*'  Why,  they  say  you  are  a  hog  for  not  ask- 
ing them.*^  I  replied,  *'  You  have  learned  me  a  iesson, 
which  I  had  not  thought  oP;  when  I  gave  my  honey  all 
away.  I  was  a  fool;  and  when  I  kept  it,  I  was  a  hag; 
therefore,  unless  I  am  a  fiog  at  least  half  of  the  time,  I 
cannot  live."  The  conclusion  is  this.  When  a  man 
b(|gins  the  wllld,  if  he  means  to  escape  censure,  he  must 
cfbserve  a  proper  medium  between  being  a  hog  and  a 
foolf  in  the  estimation  of  his  neighbors,  but  if  he  has  any 
thing  which  to  them  will  be  as  sweet  as  honey,  he  must 
not  keep  all,  nor  give  all  away.  * 

.  Question.  Why  is  an  industrious  man  in  old  age, 
like  a  hive  well  filled  with  honey,  in  the  fall  of  the 
year? 


^/my- 


196 


* 

Amtnr,  BecauM  A  the  droM  beet  who  have  iNeo 
idle  all  aomroer,  in  tinie  of  hitnreat,  wish  to  eat  l» 
mucli  honey  in  winter  af  thoae  who  laid  it  up.  The 
old  Aiani  when  he  comet  to  be  past  labor,  teet  hit 
ehOdreii  and  grand-child^n  hover  round  him,  to  suck 
the  honey  the  old  man  hat  eamdl;  and  they  are  very 
apt  to  inquire  of  each  other  how  much  the  old  man  is 
worth ;  begin  to  tr^  the  weight  of  hit  iron  chest,  or  where- 
ever  he  keeps  his  money,  as  the  owner  does  his  bee, 
hives,  and  say,  in  a  low  voice,  **  Don*t  you  think  he  has 
about  dope  ffaining?  I  fear  he  will  begin  to  spend  on 
the  interest,  if  not  on  Ihe  capital.  Now  w<;^uldJi)e  a  good 
time  to  take  him  up,  if  it  oould  be  done  and  not  expose 
ourselves."  But  the  lesson  of  Mr.  White,  in  Salem, 
who  waff  taken  up  for  the^tame  purpose,  will  be  a  hard 
lesson  to  all  such,  during  t|^e  present  generation  at  least. 
What  then  is  best  to  be  done  r  I  know  of  no  better  way 
than  to  let  old  people  live  as  long  as  they  can,  and  let 
them  oe  as  comfortable  as  they  can,  while  they  live ;  for 
notwithstanding  the  natural  disposition  of  men,  general- 
ly, is  nearly  th#  same,  the  risk  in  taking  up  old  men  pre- 
maturely, like  taking  up  bees  for  the  sake  of  their  honey, 
it  much  greater  than  the  risk  that  they  will  live,  natural- 
ly, to  spend  all  their  earnings. 

Every  thing  is  in  motion;  all  our  hopes  are  in  pros- 
pect, moving  onward,  nothing  backward.  The  inquiry 
iS)  "  How  much  will  father  leave  for  us?"  not  "^what  shall 
we  do  for  our  parents?"  Hence  it  is  wisdom,  if  a  min 
has  it,  to  keep  enough  in  nis  own  hands,  ^^r  his  own 
wants,  and  not  to  rely  too  much  on  the  goomiess  of  any 
one,  even  his  own  children.^ 


When  to  sd  Fruit  7Vee»,  and  lose  no^rowth,      ^ 

About  the  middle  of  October,  trees  have  ffenerany 
done  growing  for  that  season;  yet  they  are  still  ereen 
and  full  of  leaves.  Taken  up  at  this  time,  which  is  the 
most  proper  time^  they  will  become  well  rooted  before 
tpring.  It  will  be  necessary  to  cut  round  and  take  up 
at  much  dirt  as  you  conveniently  can,  and  set  the  root 
well  down  in  the  ground,  and  pack  it  close,  to  that  the 


Of  Samuel  Thomwh,  197 

iMt  will  not  shake  th^in.  A  BtAe  may  be  useful  until 
thsy  becoo^  well  rooted.  If  the  weather  is  dry,  they 
■hould  be  watered  often,  for  a  few  'day^  As  soon  ns 
they  will  stand  all  day,  withdut  wilting,  they  ire  out  of 
danger.  They  wilf  get  so  roMed  before  spring,  as  to 
lose  no  growth;  but iHll  crow  jost  as  well  as  though  they 
had  not  been  moved.-'^  They  are  the  most  sure,  if  set 
when  small. 


Bjd  CgMeqwncti  of  8tave$  in  Tight  Rooms, 

I  visited  a^iriend  in  Ve|jnout»  whose  daughter  was 
unwell;  her  bed  was  near  charge  stove  in  the  kitchen, 
where  the  work  of  the  houpe  was  done.  While  the 
doors  were  frequently  opene<i^  during  the  day,  there  a|H 
'peered  no  bad  effects  from  the  dry  air;  but  at  evening, 
when  the  house  was  shut,  the  young  woman  grew  much 
distressed,  and  about  ten  o'clock,  sho  had  a  violent  con* 
vulsion  fit,  and  continued  at  jpteryals  through  the  nigh|| 
I  was  satisfied  that  the. stove  waa  the  cause,  or  the  dry 
air  from  it;  but  I  could  not  convince  the  family  that 
such  was  the  fact.  I  tried  to  have  her  removed  out  of 
the  room,  and  I  succeeded  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
Her  senses  were  gone,  and  her  recollection  did  not  re- 
turn fur  some  days.  Th^  cause  I  attribute  to  the  water 
being  dried  out  of  the  air,  and  her  glands  grew  dry  by 
inhaling  the  dry  gas.  In  a  healthy  state  we  throw  on 
moisture  with  the  breath,  anit  inhale  as  much  more  from 
the  atmosphere.  This  keejis  the  lungs  refreshed  with 
moisture.     When  they  grow  dry,  it  causes  fits. 

I  will  here  name  another  case,  for  further  illustration 
Of  pr<$bf  of  this  supposition.  i;Mr.  John  M.  Williams,  of 
Baltimore,  had  a  child  taken  sick  about  three  o'clock  m 
thf  morning^  They  j^ot  up,  made  a  fire  in  the  stove  in 
Ih6  kitchen,^d  after  administering  to  the  child,  put  it 
in  the  cradle  near  the  stove.  Thoy  then  proceeded  to 
prepare  their  breakfast,  and  when  it  was  ready,  I  came 
into  the  room,  in  which  I  could  scarcely  get  my  breath, 
it  was  so  warm.  AH  set  round  the  table.  The  child  in 
the  cradle  bega|i  to  groan  at  evAry  breath,  and  after  con- 
tinuing so  for.  a  short  spac^,  went  into  a  convulsion  ^ 

n* 


f: 


«-« 


198 


A'ami(iM  of  IhM  Hfe,  ^e. 


The  family  were  mtich^larmecl.  I  told  them  the  fil  waii 
caused  by  the  stove.  I  opened  the  door^  the  child 
was  carried  tq^it,  the  ory  was,  whtU  thall  Vft  dal  t  told 
them  to  five  it  some  of  the  Sd  preparation.  The^  tried 
to  give  it;  but  they  spilled  it  in  the  bosom,  as  the  jaws  of 
the  child  were  set.  I  iM  them  to  giv^  fne  a  spoon.  I 
put  my  finger  between  the  eheek  and  teeth,  ana  poured 
in  the  liquid,  and  crowded  it  back  to  the  throat,  which 
let  the  jaws  loose,  and  the  child  swallowed  enough  to 
make  it  vomit.  The  fit  was  off,  and  I  ordered  it  into  my 
chamber,  where  was  a  fire.  It  had  no  more  fits.  I  fol- 
lowed it  with  medicine,  and  carried  it  throngh  that  fore- 
noon. The  senses  of  ithe  iikild  did  not  return  till  noon. 
The  next  day  it  was  well.  So  efficacious  was  the  course 
pursued.  One  of  the  neighbors  said  that  he  was  glad 
the  case  happened;  not  o«  account  of  the  child,  but  for 
the  benefit  of  all  present;  for  if  I  had  not  been  ttiere, 
they  would  not  have  known  the  cause  of  the  fit.  |lad  the 
child  remained  in  the  room,  the  probability  is,  it  would 
Utot  have  lived  till  noon.  And  the  cause  bemg  unknown, 
no  remedy  would  have  been  known  for  others  in  a  simi- 
lar predicament. 

There  are  similar  cases  fVom  burning  charcoal  in  a 
tight  room,  in  iMiich  case^lt  sometimes  happens  that  no 
sensible  effect  is  experienced,  till  the  senses  of  the  per- 
son affected  is  gone.  Others  coming  into  the  room, 
persons  have  been  often  found  de|id  or  senseless.  As 
diis  is  most  generally  the  efillBct,  it  makes  these  cases  the 
more  alarming;  and  people  ought  to  be  more  careful 
against  such  exposures.  Men  who  work  in  furnaces  in 
cold  weather,  and  who  often  drink  too  much  ardent  spir- 
its, and  then'  crawl  away  under  the  roof,  to  find  a  warm 
place,  have  often  sufiTered  the  same  consequences  by 
■tupor  or  death. 

Not  many  years  ago,  I  was  informed  ttet  in  the  Hos- 
pital, the  doctors  had  kept  the  rooms  fo»%e  sick,  t6-a 
certain  warmth,  by  stoves,  regulated  by  the  thermome- 
ter, so  that  one  sick  uerson  ihoUId  have  the  same  heat  as 
another.  This  woolo  not  answer  fqr  all,  even  in  a  stele 
of  health.  This  plan,  as  I  understand,  did  not  succeed. 
The  patients  died  very  fhst,  insomuch  that  the  disorder 
was  called  the  league.    They  might  have  truly  said. 


Of  Samuel  Thonuon, 


199 


k 


perhaps,  tho  plague  of  the  doctors!  I  understand  that 
Ihey  have  pulled  down  all  their  stoves,  and  substituted 
fire  places,  from  which  time  the  plague,  of  the  stoves  if. 
you  please,  "  was  stayed."  And  should  the  olague  of 
the  poisons,  and  the  bleeding,  be  stayed  also,  the  people 
would  have  a  greater  cause  for  rejoicing  than  the  'Rus- 
sians had  at  the  defeat  of  Bonaparte,  at  the  burning  of 
Moscow.  And  should  the  iatal  practice  of  bleeding  and 
poison  cease,  and  the  people  die  with  old  age,  the  only 
cause  of  death,  casualties  excepted,  naturally  incident  to 
man,  then  would  death  have  a  greater  respite  than  it  hat 
had  since  the  time  the  great  butcher,  Sydenham,  first  iuf 
troduced  the  murderous  practice  of  bleeding  info  the 
world.  A  certain  writer  says,  "During  the  course  of 
one  hundred  years,  more  died  by  the  lancet  alone,  than 
all  who  perished  by  war  in  the  same  period."  Another 
writer  says,  "  The  lancet  has  slain  more  than  the  sword, 
and  mercury,  more  than  powder  and  ball." 


t*,*" 


Value  of  Guards  and  SenUneh  in  War  or  Peace,  and  tiu 
danger  of  their  Signals  being  neglected. 

Guards  and  sentinels  have  been  the  principals  of  safety^ 
ever  since  human  beings  learned  the  art  of  war; .  and  it 
is  to  this  art  of  safety  we  are  probably  indebted  for  our 
independence.  By  this  means  was  the  treachery  of  Ar- 
nold detf  cted,  and  the  plots  of  our  enemies  defeated. 
And  even  in  time  of  peace,  when  the  enemy  is  either 
conquered  or  driven  out,  forts  and  breast  works  are  still 
necessary,  that  they  may  be  in  readiness  in  time  of  war. 

One  of  the  greatest  sentinels  who  has  been  set  to  ' 
guard  the  welfare  of  this  nation,  was  Thomas  Jefferson, 
who  erected  a  permanent  fort  in  the  constitution,  against 
the  clergy  and  the  church  and  state  party,  who,  were 
they  not  sufficiently  ffuarded,  would  bring  the  people  of 
this  country,  as  they  have  done  in  other  countries,  under 
religious  bondage.  Another  sentinel  has  recently  dis- 
tinguished himself,  in  defending  the  fort  of  Jefferson 
against  the  church  and  state  party,  armed  with  their  Sun- 
day mail  petitions.  This  sentinel  is  Col.  R.  M.  Johnson, 
armed  with  the  constitution  of  equal  rights. 


^1 


200 


^ 


MiimUive  of  Ihe  lAfe,  S^c, 


Many  useful  lessons  may  be  learned  from  the  Scrip- 
tures; not  excepting  the  Apocrypha;  where  we  find 
some,  to  say  the  least,  which  are  as  useful  as  any  other 
parts.  Mor  this  purpose  I  would  refer  the  reader  to  the 
13th  chapter  of  Judith. 

In  this  chapter  may  he  found  the  result  of  silencing 
the  guard,  and  sentinels,  whereby  through  the  deceit  and 
influence  of  one  woman,  the  destruction  of  a  whole  army, 
of^about  160,000  soldiers,  was  effected.  No  other  pos- 
Bible  means  could  have  subdued  them.  See  the  ac- 
count. 

I  have  refbrred  to  thi^  chapter,-  to  show  what  incalcu- 
lable mischief  may  arise  from  such  neglect ;  with  a  view 
at  the  same  time  to  awaken  the  people  from  their  drow- 
siness, and  to  arouse  them  to  double  their  diligence  in 
placing  their  guards  and  sentinels,  or  else  stand  them- 
selves, to  guard  their  rights  and  liberties,  which  are  in  as 
much  danger  of  being  diestroycfd  ultimately,  if  not  so 
speedily,  as  the  great  army  under  Holifernes,  was,  but 
a  short  time  previous  to  their  destruction.  And  yet  the 
people  seem  to  rest  as  safely  as  did  the  army  to  which  I ' 
have  just  alluded, 
i>  There  is  a  power  and  influence  as  much  to  be  guard- 
^ed  agajinst  now,  as  there  was  then,  and  the  vigilance  of 
all  our  guards  will  not  be  more  than  sufficient  to  protect 
the  people.  Let  them  watch  the  secret  workings  of  our 
enemies;  especially  those  who  appear  as  friends  to  our 
fkc9s,  and  see  what  they  are  about  in  the  dark.  Re- 
member the  light  sayings  and  dark  doings  of  Judith. 
While  the  army  thought  they  were  in  safety,  sudden  dfe- 
striiction  came  upon  them. 

Look!  See  the  rapid  strides  of  the  clergy ! !  Behold 
all  their  secret  working  among  the  women  and  children 
of  our  landll!  And  the  men  have  no  sentinels  to  guard 
themlblves.  I  think  we  never  had  more  need  to  be  on 
our  guard  than  at  the  present  time.  As  with  the  priest, 
flo  with  the  doctor;  the  people  are  crammed  with  the 
poison  doctrines  of  the  one,  and  the  poison  drugs  of  the 
other,  without  giving  them  any  chance  to  examine  and 
taste  for  themselves.  The  priest  crams  them  with  his 
dwn  ignorance  and  superstition ;  and  the  effects  are  de- 
lirium and  suicide.    The  doctor  crams  them  with  hia 


poison;  « 
death.'   ^ 
or  nearly 
And  the  w 
house,  or 
to  be  bla 
the  doctoi 
and  the  p 
must  n9to  I 
remedy  na 
first  place. 
Let  us  ii 
.   nels,  both 
to  guard  tf] 
tinels  disp] 
perceived 
This,  of  CO! 
"Eyes,  lo( 
there  appei 
the  best  m( 
and  says,  **j 
orders  are  ( 
the  commai 
and  smellin 
and  muscle 
fence  or  ret 
of  each  otht 
The  senti 
are  to  judge 
eye;'  and  if 
nose,  the  ne 
the  flavor  b 
nothing  disi 
tongue  to  th 
convey  the 
air  to  the  1 
to  prevent  e 
either,  and 
is  thrown  ba 
w  received 
spection. .   I 
to  health,  is 


Of  Samuel  Thomson, 


201 


•i 


ard- 
of 
tect 
our 
our 
Re- 
dith. 
diB- 


poison ;  and  the  effects  are  pains,  lingering  sickness,  and 
death.  When  dead,  the  doctor  often  takes  the  whole, 
or  nearly  the  whole,  of  the  little  property  remaining; 
and  the  widow  and  orphans  become  subjects  of  the  poor- 
house,  or  go  out  as  servants.  The  question  is,  who  is 
to  be  blamed  ?  All,  all  are  to  be  blamed.  The  priest, 
the  doctor,  and  the  lawyer,  for  deceiving  the  people; 
and  the  people,  for  being  deceived  by  them.,  But  what 
must  91910  be  the  remedy?  Where  it  is  not  too  late,  the 
remedy  must  be  the  same  as  it  should  have  been  in  the 
first  place.     But  see. 

Let  us  inquire,  in  the  first  place,  what  are  the  senti- 
nels, both  external  and  internal,  which  nature  has  placed 
to  guard  the  body  from  injury?  And  how  ai^  these  sen- 
tinels displayed?  We  will  suppose  the  danger  is  first 
perceived  by  a  certain  sound,  or  some  trifling  noise. 
This,  of  course,  is  first  perceived  by  the  ear,  which  says, 
"Eyes,  look!"  The  call  is  instantly  obeyed;  and  if 
there  appears  to  be  danger,  and  flight  is  thought  to  be 
the  best  mode  of  escape,  the  whole  body  is  summoned, 
and  says,  *  'Legs,  carry  me  oflTas  fast  as  you  can. "  These 
order?  are  obeyed  as  regularly  as  though  a  general  gave 
the, command.  The  senses  of  seeing,  hearing,  tasting 
and  smelling,  are  the  sentinels;  which,  with  the  nerves 
and  muscles,  constitute  the  whole  army,  cither  for  de- 
fence or  retreat;  and  they  are  subject  to  the  command 
of  each  other.  '    ,       • 

The  sentinels  of  the  internal  structure,  or  those  which 
are  to  judge  of  what  is  to  be  swallowed,  begin  with  the 
eye;'  and  if  it  be  pleasant  to  the  eye,  it  passes  to  the 
nose,  the  next  sentinel;  if  the  pass  be  right,  that  ij,  if 
the  flavor  be  agreeable,  it  goes  to  the  taste ;  where,  if 
nothing  disagreeable  is  perceived,  it  is  carried  from  the 
tongue  to  the  swallow.  Here  are  two  roads,  the  one  to 
convey  the  food  to  the  atomach,  the  other  to  convey  the 
air  to  the  lungs;  the  business  of  the  sentinel  here,  is, 
to  prevent  either  from  taking  the  wrong  road ;  for  should 
either,  and  especially  the  food,  take  the  wrong  road,  it 
is  thrown  back  with  a  great  explosion.  When  the  food 
is  received  into  the  stomach,  it  undergoes  a  general  in- 
spection. .  If  any  thing  ireeuonous,  that  is,  uncongenial 
to  health,  is  found  in  it,  an  uneasincfss  is  almost  the  im- 


'« 


$02 


^arraiive  of  the  Life,  Sfc, 


mediate  consequence,  perhaps  pain  and  sickness,  and  it 
is  often  sent  back  without  consulting  Any  of  the  guards 
or  sentinels;  for  it  is  general  orders.  And  if  the  gen- 
eral gives  orders  for  any  to  pass  or  re-pass,  without  being 
hailed  by  the  sentinels,  such  orders  must  be  obeved. 
And  if  the  general  loses  his  head,  and  thereby  his  whole 
army  is  defeated,  it  i^  no  fault  of  the  guards  and  senti- 
nels, as  in  the  case  of  Judith  and  Uoliiiernes. 

Nature  has  placed  all  the  guards  and  sentinels  in  the 
body,  which  are  necessary  for  its  safety  and  protefction, 
and  the  mind  is  so  constituted,  that  it  is  capable  of  judg- 
ing of  all  the  signals  which  these  sentinels  give;  but  the 
devil,  which  is  only  another  name  for  imposture  and 
fraud,  that  is,  learned  ignorance,  falsehgod  and  art,  are 
always  at  variance  with  simple  and  natural  principles; 
the  same  as  honesty  and  dishonesty  are  opposed  to  each 
other.  Now,  of  what  use  is  such  reasoning  to  the  peo- 
ple? None,  until  they  can  be  brought  back  to  a  simple 
state  of  na  ure.  Here  the  devil,  or  lalse  learning,  under 
the  name  of  doctor,  with  his  elegant  cloak  »nd  powder- 
ed head,  comes  in  and  upsets  the  whole  system  of  plain 
simple  truth,  and  introduces  his  learned  falsehood.  Tells 
M  the  people  that  those  sentinels  which  nature  has  set  in 
'the  body  are  all  false;  learning  is  the  only  true  guide; 
and  urges  them  to  throw  by  all  their  natural  ideas,  and 
hear  to  learning,  popular  customs  and  fashions;  and 
then  they  will  be  respected  by  the  popular  classes;  that 
is,  by  the  doctor,  minister  and  lawyer,  and  the  great 
dons  around  whom  those  learned  professions  fawn,  and 
whom  they  like  to  flatter.  Pay  us,  and  we  will  attend  to 
your  most  important  concerns.  Attend  to  your  labor 
in  building  our  houses,  and  making  our  rich  clothins.and 
furniture;  cultivate  the  soil;  raise  the  fatted  calt,  the 
poultry,  and  the  flour,  to  feed  us;  and  we  will  pray  for 
your  souls,  doctor  your  bodies,  and  make  your  wills. 
You  must  not  attempt  to  do  any  of  these  things  for  your- 
selves, for  you  have  not  sufficient  learning. 

Now,  look,  fellow  laborers,  and  see  to  what  a  condi- 
tion these  three  learned  craf\s  have  brought  you  at  the 
present  day.  The  learned  doctor  has  knocked  down  all 
your  natural  sentinels,  and  has  passed  the  poison  down 
your  throats  as  though  it  was  as  innocent  as  breast-milk 


is  for  th 
rats,  an^ 
the  poiso 
butcher  i 
produces 
ed  by  su 
tural  sent 
senses  ar 
beast  triet 
be  is  nev 
And  whei 
nature,  th 
than  are 
beasts  wil 
down  the 
the  prejudi 
selves,  am 
till  they  by 
own  arms, 
antimony, 
emetic.     S 
of  the  bea 
to  take  a  U 
it,  it  woul 
than  all  th 
oralis  I  h 
child  of  tw 
&]  coniplai 
wound,  eve 
by  a  doctor 
is  somethin 
thinks  his  f 
only  afraid 
takes  it.     S 
the  doctor 
where  it  be 
for  the  spac 
yard,  and  < 
ifthree-foui 
of  age;  thii 
iuded  world 


Of  Samuel  T%o^i.  ??i. 


203 


is  for  the  infant,  until  you  are  dying  off  like  swarms  of 
rats,  and  with  tho  same  poison.  Then,  in  addition  to 
the  poison,  he  draws  out  your  blood,  to  cure,  as  does  the 
butcher  the  blood  of  the  beaat/to  kill;  and  which  often 
produces  the  same  effect.  This  is  what  you  have  gain- 
ed by  suffering  the  doctors  to  knock  down  all  your  nor 
tural  sentinels, .  and  to  substitute  learned  fools  whose 
senses  are  below  the  grade  of  the  beast.  When  the 
beast  tries  his  food,  by  the  sentinels  of  the  eye  and  nose, 
he  is  never  deceived.  Nature  always  tells  the  truth. 
And  when  wild  beasts  go  according  to  the  dictates  of 
nature,  they  are  more  successful  in  raising  their  offspring 
than  are  mankind  in  raising  theirs  by  art.  For  the 
beasts  will  neither  eat  poison  themselves,  nor  force  it 
down  the  throats  of  their  offspring.  But  mankind,  by 
the  prejudice  of  false  learning,  will  both  eat  poison  them- 
selves, and  force  it  down  the  throats  of  their  children, 
till  they  by  this  means  execute  death  upon  them  in  their 
own  arms.  This  is  done  by  giving  wine  poisoned  with 
antimony,  or  the  tartrite  of  antimony,  called  tartar- 
emetic.  So  much  is  mankind  reduced  below  the  grade 
of  the  beast  by  the  force  of  education.  Were  parents 
to  take  a  lesson  from  a  child  two  years  old,  and  abide  by 
it,  it  would  be  of  greater  use  to  the  rising  generation 
than  all  that  ever  came  from  the  college  by  the  three 
crafts  I  have  named.  It  will  be  remembered  that  a 
child  of  two  years  old  is  troubled  and  makes-  a  mourn- 
ful complaint  at  the  sight  of  blood,  from  the  slightest 
wound,  even  if  he  feels  no  smart  from  it;  or  when  taken 
by  a  doctor  from  another.  His  senses  tell  him  that  there 
is  something  wrong  in  it,  and  applies  to  those  whom  he 
thinks  his  friends,  to  remedy  the  evil.  The  child  is  not 
only  afraid  of  the .  blood,  but  also  of  the  doctor  who 
takes  it.  Should  parents  from  this  lesson,  learn  to  keep 
the  doctor  away,  and  to  keep  the  blood  in  the  body, 
where  it  belongs,  for  the  preservation  of  life  and  health, 
for  the  space  of  one  hundred  years,  then  visit  the  grave- 
yard, and  examme  the  monuments  of  the  dead,  and  see 
if  three-fourths  of  the  inhabitants  died  under  thirty  years 
of  age;  this,  I  think,  would  stril^e  conviction  to  the  de- 
luded world. 


^1 


904 


A*atTalioe  <tf  iht  Life,  B^e. 


' ' 


I  return  to  my  text.    The  sentinels  of  life  and  preser- 
vation, as  before  mentioned,  in  the  brute  animals,  never 
deceive  them.    There  is  none  found  dead  by  poison, 
either  accidental  or  done  on  purpose.    Their  sentinels 
have  been  true  to  them.    Not  so  among  the  dupes  of 
kamed  ignorance,  where  they  allow  their  sentinels  to 
be  knocked  down  by  the  doctor,  and  poison  to  be  cram- 
med down  their  throats;  for  unless  the  general  govern- 
ment of  the  stomach  should  s6  condemn  his  prescrip- 
tions as  to  throw  the  poison  back  in  spite  of  nim,  the 
patient  must  suffer;  his  sufferings  may  be  long,  but  gen- 
erally fatal;  and  his  body  will  be  carried  out  by  the  sex- 
ton, in  a  coffin,  as  was  the  head  of  Holifemes,  in  the 
^^>  hy  Judith.    Neither  is  this  the  greatest  evil,  caused 
by  these  artificial  monsters  in  human  shape.    How  often 
do  we  see  our  children  sacrificed  by  being  born  artifi- 
cially, instciad  of  naturally?  aided  by  the  pincers  of  the 
assassin,  instead  of  the  skillful  hand  of  the  midwife.    All 
their  art,  is  to  force  nature,  instead  of  assisting  her. 
These  are  some  of  the  effects  of  learning  which  termi- 
nate in  death.    But  there  are  others  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten.   Cripples  and  invalids,  dragging  out  a  miserable 
life,  reduced  almost  to  a  state  of  starvation,  for  those 
who  survive  their  unnatural  practice.    Besides  a  tribute 
of  twenty  dollars  for  destroying  the  comfort  of  a  wife 
and  the  life  of  a  child  !    Yet  the  eyes  of  the  people  are 
blinded  by  the  sound  of  the  word  feamtngp,  and  learned 
doctor;  and  ddubly  blinded  by  the  priest,  or  the  parson, 
who  will  clear  the  doctor  firom  all  blame,  by  sayine,  *Hhe 
Lord  gave,  aqd  the  Lord,"  not  the  doctor,  "hath  tkken 
away,  and  blessed,"  not  cursed,  *^be  the  name  of  the 
Lord. "    Had  the  wiest  declared,  as  often  as  it  was  really 
the  case,  that  in  all  probability  the  poison,  bleeding  and 
blistering,  had  killed  the  patient,  the  doctor-craft  ^ould 
have  been  dead  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago. 

Were  it  possible  for  mankind  to  be  brought  back  to 
his  proper  grade,  that  of  other  animals,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  exercise  all  their  natural  faculties,  and  have  their 
sentinels  which  have  been  knocked  down  by  the  doctor 
restored,  so  as  to  be  as  good  as  those  of  the  beasts,  so 
that  the  sentinel  of  the  eye  and  nose  would  reculate 
their  food  and  medicine,  and  prevent  any  poison  neing 


Of  SavMuJL  27iofiuon. 


ao5 


taken  either  by  theinselvea  or  their  children,  for  four 
generations,  the  people,  I  think,  would  improve  in  stature 
and  vigor,  and  become  **mighty  men  of  renown;"  stich 
as  we  read  of  in  olden  times,  before  the  poison  doctors 
had  destroyed  the  natural  senses  of  our  race;  or  at  least, 
80  perverted  them  that  they  cease  to  be  subservient  to 
their  natural  use.  But,  on  the  contrary,  should  the 
hood-winking  system  be  continued,  and  the  people  coi^ 
tinue  to  degenerate,  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  so  far 
as  their  health  and  bodily  faculties  are  concerned,  for 
four  generations  to  come,  as  they  have  for  two  genera- 
tions pa3t,  they  will  become  more  like  a  race  of  monkeys 
than  like  human  beings. 

From  this  83urce  of  poisons  may  be  traced  those 
hereditary  and  family  consumptions  we  hear  so  often  men- 
tioned. If  traced  back,  it  will  be  found  that  the  family 
consumption  began  with  the  family  doctor;  and  so  it 
will  continue  as  long  a3  you  employ  one.  A  treatise  on 
the  family  doctor  may  be  found  on  page  175,  of  this -work. 
The  family  consumption  was  made  with  those  families 
to  whom  the  doctor  gave  the  fever  when  he  spread  it 
through  the  village.  Those  who  did  not  die,  were  left 
worse  than  dead.  The  poison  left  in  the  system  caused 
them  to  linger  out  a  miserable  life  in  pain  and  torment; 
and  the  doctor  gets  clear  by  stating  that  they  have  all  died 
with  the  family  consumption.  If  you  wish  to  keep  clear 
of  a  family  consumption,  keep  clear  of  a  family  doctor. 

The  priest  is  equally  guilty  of  knocking  down  the 
sentinels  of  the  mind  and  understanding,  as  the  doctor 
is  of  knocking  down  the  external  aiid  internal  sentinels 
of  the  body.  Death,  in  many  instances  is  the  effect  of 
both.  Bleeding  and  poison  on  the  one  hand,  and  insan- 
ity and  suicide  on  the  otheY.  Both  of  them  cause  a 
grievous  tax  on  the  people;  and  the  lawyer  sweeps  the 
board  in  collecting  their  bills  and  his  fees. 

Thus  I  have  shown  in  part,  the  evils  arising  from  giv- 
ing up  the  guards  and  sentinels  of  the  laboring  class  of 
the  community,  and  substituting  the  three  crafts  to  watch 
over  them,  and  to  **eat  them  that  are  fed,  and  clothe 
themselves  with  their  wool;  but  they  feed  not  the  flock." 
They  call  themselves '^shepherds;"  but  they  ara  ^^wolves 
in  sheep's  clothing.*' 
18 


806 


JVomrftve  of  iKt  Lift,  Sfc, 


Why  meat  will  not  putrefy  in  very  hot,  or  vert 

cold  climates. 

Meat  will  not  putrefy  in  Arabia,  nor  in  South  America, 
nor  at  the  North  or  South  Poles.  Where  the  climate  is 
SO  hot  as  almost  to  roast  meat,  it  will  not  putrefy,  as  in 
Africa  or  South  America.  Where  the  sand  will  roast 
an  egg  in  fifteen  minutes,  there  the  carcases  dry  up, 
and  do  not  rot.  So,  on  the  North  or  South  Poles,  where 
every  thing  is  frozen,  there  is  no  putrefaction.  But  half 
way  between  freezing  and  roasting,  there  is  putrefac- 
tion. Much  beef  is  dried  on  the  sand  in  Brazils,  with- 
out any  salt,  and  used  at  sea  as  fresh  beef.  The  cause 
why  meat  will  not  putrefy  in  either  very  hot,  or  very  cold 
climates,  ad  1  apprehend,  is,  the  water  evaporates  in  the 
one  case,  and  congeals  to  ice  in  the  other,  so  suddenly, 
that  the  meat  has  no  chance  to  decompose,  as  in  either 
case  it  becomes  hard. 

The  myrrh  from  Africa,  is  better  than  from  Turkey 
or  Russia,  as  the  climate  is  steadily  hot,  and  the  myrrh 
is  of  a  more  spicy  smell,  and  is  much  more  powerful 
against  all  mortifications  and  putrid  sores  than  that  from 
the  Straits;  and  is  of  a  much  higher  price.  .  There 
being  no  trade  up  the  rivers,  to  the  interior  part  of  the 
country,  all  that  is  to  be  had,  is  brought  by  the  Arabs 
to  Mora  or  Madagascar.  The  cayenne  from  Madagas- 
car is  better  than  that  from  the  West  Indies,  as  it  is 
more  steady  in  its  operation,  and  better  against  putre- 
fiiction;  and  is  not  fluctuating  from  a  calm  to  a  hurri- 
cane, as  is  that  from  the  West  Indies.  The  latter,  often 
80  frightens  the  people  who  take  it,  especially  in  a  cold 
state  of  the  body,  that  they  never  dare  to  take  any  more. 
It  is  seldom  the  case  with  that  from  Africa. 

Beware  >of  the  American,  which  is  manufactured,^  and 
colored.    It  is  poisoned,  as  I  have  remarked  elsewhere. 


Proposals   for  a  revolution  in  thb  piuctick  of 

hbdicins. 

• 

People  have  paid  doctors  for  being  sick,  for  about  four 
thousand  years.  Let  them  now  turn  about,  and  pay  for 
their  healthy  which  is  much  more  reasonable.    Let  the 


Of  Samuel  Tliomton, 


301 


doctor  enter  into  contract  with  the  dead  of  a  family,  to 
keep  the  family  in  health,  for  a  certain  sum,  for  each 
i&ember  of  the  family,  for  one  year;  conditioned  that  for 
each  day's  sickness  in  the  family,  by  any  member  thereof, 
the  doctor  shall  forfeit  twenty-five  cents,  to  be  deducted 
from  the  sum  agreed  upon.  Hence  all  the  account  there 
is  to  be  kept,  is,  the  number  of  days  of  sickness  there  ia 
in  the  family,  in  order  to  know  what  amount  there  is  to 
be  deducted  from  the  sum  agreed  upon.  And  to  prevent 
any  imposition  on  the  doctor,  by  the  family,  any  one 
saying,  "I  am  sick,"  to  save  twenty-five  cents;  the  doctor 
must  be  called,  and  they  must  go  through  a  regular  course 
of  medicine,  or  else  not  have  any  allowance  made  for  their 
sickness.  But  if  they  comply,  the  doctor  must  not  only 
attend  them  for  nothing,  finding  his  own  medicine,  but 
also  pay  them  twenty-five  cents  for  every  day  they  are 
sick;  to  be  deducted  at  the  end  of  the  year,  from  his 
salary.  Were  this  plan  generally  adopted,  it  would  save 
nine-tenths  of  all  the  sickness  of  our  country. 


% 


NUM^PALST. 

In  looking  oyer  my  Narrative  and  Guide  to  Health,  I 
find  that  this  disease  has  been  overlooked,  and  not  treat- 
ed upon.  J  carried  the  view  in  my  mind,  that  I  had  re- 
corded the  case  of  my  daughter,  which  happened  about 
twenty  years  ago;  and  the  omission  was  not  discovered 
till  it  was  too  late  to  insert  it  in  its  proper  place.  I  shall, 
therefore,  give  it  a  place  here. 

While  I  was  at  Portsmouth,  I  do  not  recollect  now  ex- 
actly the  year,  I  received  a  letter  from  home,  that  my 
daughter,  then  about  twenty  years  of  age,  was  sick  and 
her  life  despaired  of.  I  ohtainod  and  took  with  me  a 
bottle  of  the  best' pepper-sauce.  When  I  arrived,  she 
appeared  to  be  dying,  and  had  so  appeared,  as  they  said, 
for  some  days.  Her  eyes  were  set;  and  she  breathed 
like  one  in  the  last  struggles  of  life.  I  was  advised  to 
do  nothing  for  her.  I  thought  it  would  do  no  harm  to 
try  the  pepper-vinegar.  I  therefore  poured  a  spoonful 
of  it  in  her  mouth,  as  it  was  open.  In  about  two  min- 
Lies  she  opened  and  moved  her  eyes.  I  then  gave  her 
another  spoonful,  which  was  swallowed.    In  about  the 


toe 


AUrra/tve  of  the  Life,  Sfc, 


space  often  minutes,  she  spoke,  and  said  she  had  had  a 
shoG^  of  the  numbpalsy.  This  was  the  first  idea  we 
had  of  the  kind.  After  awaking  like  a  person  from 
sleep,  or  nearly  dead,  she  gave  a  history  of  its  begin- 
ning and  progress  to  the  then  present  time.  She  »aid 
the  shock  struck  one  half  of  the  body  and  limbs,  and 
half  of  the  tongue,  insensible  of  feeling;  like  that  caus- 
ed by  a  knock  of  the  elbow.  All  one  side  was  full  of  a 
prickling  sensation,  attended  at  first  with  heavy  and  se- 
vere pain;  the  pain  relaxed,  however,  as  the  side  dead- 
ened, and  entirely  ceased  with  the  feelings;  and  all  that 
side  remained  dead,  as  to  sensation,  till  the  pcpper-Fauce 
was  given.  This  brought  back  the  pain  and  prickling 
as  at  the  commencement,  until  all  parts  had  become 
equalized.  I  think  I  carried  her  through  several  courses 
of  medicine  in  usual  form,  until  the  system  became  clear 
of  obstruction,  and  the  digestive  powers  restored.  She 
soon  recovered,  with  no  other  disodvantage  than  that  of 
the  side  which  received  the  shock  continuing  weaker 
and  moHft  subject  to  cold  than  the  other.  She  has  had 
two  or  three  of  those  shocks  since.  But  by  having  the 
medicine  in  the  family,  and  by  the  assistance  of  the 
neighbors  who  have  the  right,  she  has  been  always  soon 
relieved,  so  as  not  to  be. confined  but  a  few  days.  I  saw 
her  last  fall.  She  has  now  no  trouble  frcm  the  com- 
plaint, except  that  above  mentioned.  She  has  a  family 
of  six  children,  and  has  done  the  greatest  part  towards 
their  support  by  practising  abroad,  under  my  system,  and 
by  my  finding  her  with  medicines  and  rights  to  sell.  She 
has  relieved  many  of  the  same  complaint. 

I  have  given  a  history  of  this  ctise,  only  on  account 
of  the  name.  Had  the  same  case  appeared  without  any 
name,  the  treatment  under  the  head  of  fits,  drowned 
persons,  and  all  suspended  animation  would  have  an- 
swered. The  third  preparation  is  the  first  resort;  then 
a  full  course  of  medicine,  rigorously  pursued,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  dcadliness  or  violence  of  the  disease,  until 
life  becomes  equalized  through  the  body.  The  whole 
of  the  directions  above  given,  is  simply  this:  A  thorough 
course  of  medicine,  administered  with  the  best  articles; 
emetic  seed,  cayenne,  drops,  nerve  powder,  and  bay- 
berry,  or  No.  3, 


Of  Samuel  Thonuon, 


309 


any 
^ncd 


Fever  must  have  its  course. 

How  consoling  must  these  words  be  from  the  health* 
restoring  physician,  to  his  suffering  patient,  who  wishet 
to  know  how  long  he  must  undergo  those  torturing  ad- 
ministrations of  poisonous  physic,  salivation,  loss  of  teeth, 
together  with  bleeding  and  blistering!  The  doctor  tellf 
him  that  he  does  not  know;  perhaps  nine  days;  some 
fevers  run  longer  than  others;  and  it  must  have  its 
course!  I  have  known  a  rich  man's  fever  run  a  hundred 
days,  when  a  poor  man's  fever  would  turn  in  ten  dayi. 
The  inflammatory  fever,  or  hot  fever,  will  soon  come  to 
its  height,  unless  checked  with  small  doses  of  calomel, 
opium,  nitre,  &c.  which  tend  to  prolong  it.  With  these 
applications,  the  fever  may  be  continued  longer  or  short- 
er, as  the  money  of  the  patient  holds  out. 

Sometimes,  before  one  fever  turns,  another  will  set  id, 
until  they  have  the  whole  list,  thirty'Seven  and  upwardi. 
But  the  patient  will  be  likely  to  die  before  Ae  has  had 
half  of^he  above  number  .of  fevers.  By  tliis  ||bu  may 
see  that  the  doctor  does  not  pretend  to  knon^  ai^  thing 
how  long  you  vjrill  be  sick,  or  whether  you  will  live  or 
die.  Who,  I  would  ask,  has  not  heard  part,  if  not  all, 
of  the  above  statements,  made  by  the  doctor  to  his  pa- 
tients, and  yet  not  feel  insulted  at  ajl  ? 

Suppose  you  went  to  a  landlord  to  doctor  your  hunger, 
and  the  landlord  should  tell  you  that  your  hunger^ must 
run  from  nine  to  a  hundred  days,  would  you  not  be  dis- 
posed to  cuflT  his  ears  for  the  insult?  But  is  it  not  as 
much  of  an  insult  for  the  doctor  to  tell  you  that  your 
fever  must  have  its  run,  as  for  the  landlord  to  tell  you 
that  your  hunger  must  have  its  run?  It  would  be  so 
considered,  if  the  |>eople  only  knew  that  a  fever  can  be 
relieved  as  certainly,*  and  almost  as  speedily,  as  hunger. 
In  either  case,  it  would  be,  as  it  is  with  the  doctor,  a 
plain  confession  that  they  have  ho  remedy.  Then  why 
should  the  doctor  continue  his  visits  for  a  fee,  any  more 
than  the  landlord  when  he  has  no  food  i  One  is  as  much, 
entitled  to  pick  the  pockets  of  his  employers  as  the  other. 
How  long  must  custom  and  superstition  become  a  law  to 
ignorance  and  credulity? 
18* 


tio 


yarraUve  of  tht  lAfe,  ^e, ' 


* 


4 


\.  . 


A  Remarkable    Vision, 

INTROOUCTIOjT. 

The  following  Vipi(m  was, seen  and  published  in  a 
hand-bill  form,  iit  March ^  1817,  in  consequence  of  the 
coldness  of  the  summeir  j;>revi(fis,  which  caused  great 
mortality,  especially  among  wdjbien  in  ehild-bed  delivery, 
in  a  town  adjoining  this  city.  Thirteen  women  died,  as 
I  understood,  in  this  condition,  in  about  six  weeks;  for 
I  heard  of  none  out  of  this  number  that  survived.  This 
mortality  caused  me  great  distress  of  mind,  knowing  the 
cause  of  their  deaths,  and  having  no  means  to  give  the 
alarm  to  the  people,  as  all  the  preises  at  that  time  were 
shut  against  tide,  l^  however,  could  not  remain  silent. 
I  foilira  a  man  who  had  a  few  old  types,  and  I  interceded 
with  him  to  print  in  hand-bill  form,  two  thousand  copies 
l^tliei  following  Dream  or  Vision;  a  great  many  copies 
m  Ifhich  J?ere  distributed  in  said  town.  The  distribu- 
tibn  ftiok  pka^e  before  the  break  of  day,  lest  tl^eople 
shoiTld'llba^)utlne  writer,  and,  owing  to  their  prlfvdiceii^ 
it  should  i^U  of  having  the  desired  effect.  T  his  strata- 
gem operated  like  a  charm,  being  dreamed  into  the  mind, 
and  no  other  possible  means  in  my  power  could  have  ef- 
fected so  desirable  An  object;  because,  in  the  morning, 
the  people  were  s^n,  like  the  manna  •  eaters,  gathering 
each  one  for  himself^r  where  they  were  mostly  scattered, 
beings  at  the  doctors,  ministers,  lawyers,  merchants,  li- 
braries, and  reading-rooms.  This  wonderful  production 
was  seized  upon  as  eagerly  as  was  the  manna  of  former 
times,  and  wiis  read  and  then  carried  to  their  neighbors, 
and  to  their  ^Vent  surprise,  like  as  the  first  born  being 
slain,  they  ibintd  the  same  there.  This  unexpected  mes- 
sage, being  thus  rained  down  among  them,  caused  much 
inquiry  among  t|ie. husbands  and  friends  of  the  victims, 
who  anxiously  desired  a  manifestation  of  the  cause. 
When  finding  to  their  satisfaction  that  it  was  the  medi- 
cine, in  combination  with  the  cold,  which  caused  this 
mortality,  then  the  destroying  angel  put  up  his  deadly 
weapons,  (mercury,  arsenic,  antimony,  opium  and  ni- 
tre) and  sheathed  the  sword  of  destruction,  (lancet,  knife 
and  forceps,)  and  the  fatality  from  that  time  ceased^ 
And  there  was  great  joy  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 


«arth,  at 
as  foiloMt 

•^  remati 
publiih 

Whifb 
greatly  aj 
aayin^,  » 
Boastmg 
And  1  tho 
of  thoir  w 
saw  by  m^ 
ment.     I  i 
plied,  •*! 
yourself  t\ 
;,  notes  Puri 
I  then  ai 
**  I  am  Da 
the  njn^  c 
tfUhJ^,; 
off  his  whi 
then  asked 
«nd  many  < 
have  lately 
until  this  rr 
stroyed  wil 
or  hours." 
After  hei 
or  not.     H 
many."    1 
to  which  he 
showed  me 
is  inscribec 
under  the  r 
of  preservii 
bj^that  ins( 
weapons  co 
according  t 
*Tf,  Quintm 
He  then  i 
under  the  p 
and  the  me 


iies- 
ituch 
Liins, 
luse. 
Jnedi- 
this 
;adly 

ni- 
iniie 
ised^ 

the 


earth,  at  tl#l 


Of  Samuel  Thimton, 


Sll 


«arth,  at  tl^ii|pcew  of  tha  Pream,  which  was  headed 
OS  folIoMts: 

A  retnariuihk  Vtnon,  Been  in  th§  ^Ij/ieteenih  Cenhtry^  and 
publiaH$d  Jfir  CiU  benefit  Hff  §Uv}fy}  believe  il  a  realiiy, 

Whifb  in  fl9t0t  repose  Upon  my  bed,  my  mind  was 
greatly  agitated  by  d  voice,  Which,  m  my  dream,*!  heard 
saying,  *' Poor  wretchad  inhabitants  of  a  free  country! 
Boasting  of  RcHgion,  Medical  knowledge  and  wisdom!" 
And  1  thought  my8eli''ii^ake,%nd  fei|l,  what  is  the  cause 
of  thoir  wretchedness?  As  I  s^^ke,  turning  iny  eyes,  I 
saw  by  my  bed-^e,  a  man  clothed  in  a  long  white  gar- 
ment. I  thought  I  said  t^  him,  who  are  yoiH'?  He/e- 
plied,  '*  I  am  Deception."  I  tilen  said,  why  do  ybu  give 
yourself  this  odious  name?  Ho  replied,  '*  White  de- 
notes Purity,  Innocence,  and' a  Promoter  of  Health. 

I  then  asked  him  what  he  was  in  reality;  his  reply  was, 
**I  am  Death  under  the  name  of  Life;  or  Evil,  under 
the  njtoe  of  Good."  I  then  asked  him  to  appear  to  ^rfif^ 
#l(h(imeiny  cover^r  diaguisei  this  he  did,  by  throwtiw 
off  his  white  robe;  alj  waSvbrackjDess  and  darkness.  I 
then  asked  him  what  h^  represented;  he  said  "  Death! 
and  many  ^f  my  victims  you  have  Imown,  andA>thers  you 
have  lately  heard  of,  and  will  continue  to  hear  of  them, 
until  this  mineral  practice  is  changed.  Many  have  I  de- 
stroyed wiHi  my  deadly  weapons,  some  liithin  a  few  days 
or  hours." 

After  hearing  nil  this,  Tas^d  liim  if  he  w^s  a  reality 
or  not.  He  replied,  *'I  ai^iiVily  the  representative  of 
many."  This  led  me  to  inquire  what  he  represented; 
to  which  he  replied,  *'  I  shall  calf  no  names,"  and  t|;^en 
showed  me  i\fb  pill  bags,  and  said«|t**  These,  and  what 
is  inscribed  on  them,  will  teach  you  yhy  I  am  Death 
under  the  name  of  Life ^  and  why  I  kill  under  the  name 
of  preserving  life."  I  then  asked  him  what  he  meant 
bjl^that  inscription;  he  replied,  ^' I  mean  those  deadly 
weapons  contained  in  the  bags;  the  names  of  which  are, 
according  to  the  b^st  of  my  recollection,  Arsenic,  Mercu- 
ry, Quinine,  Opium,  Nitre,  Lancet,  and  Knife." 

He  then  added,  "  These  instruments  of  death  are  used 
under  the  pretence  of  curing  diseases,  or  promoting  life ; 
and  the  men  who,  use  them,  you  know  have  been  the 


212 


Miiralive  of  the  L(/«,  ^c, 


cause  of  the  death  of  those  who  were  so  suddenly  taken 
from  their  friends  and  all  they  held  dear  on  earth." 

Having  heard  all  this,  I  aiiikod  why  he  revealed  this 
secret  to  me  and  not4o  another?  lie  replied,  *^  because 
I  kpow  you  are  able  to  write  the  particulars  which  are 
related  to  you."  He  added,  "do  not  (ail  to  publish  what 
I  have  related;  not  only  in  this  town,  but  in  every  di- 
rection ;  for  this  business  of  killings  under  the  name  of 
healing,  has  gone  far,  and  is  going  farther;  for  many 
have  great  wrath,  becaust  they  IkinK  their  time  is  short. 
Every  thing  which  has  been  done  here,  and  in  other 
places,  adapted  to  relieve  the  sick  wi^^  the  medicine  of 
our  country,  which  nature  has  so  bountifully  furnished, 
all  these  thins^s  have  been  despised,  and  those  who  kill 
others,  cry,  PoUon!  PoitonI  Kill!  Killl 

I  asked  him  why  they  cried  out  in  this  manner,  when 
so  few  died  who  used  the  medicine  of  our  own  country, 
and  when  so  many  fell  under  their  deadly  weapons?  He 
rcyplied,  "you  remember  what  I  first  stated;  tj^  will 
iSk  of  pity,  if  one  is  likojy  to  be  cured,  that  JHf  m^ 
kill  him  themselves.  It  is  not  strange  for  the  7agle  to 
cry  death  to  birds,  when  the  dove  is  atnong  them,  though 
he  would  gladly  devour  the.  dove  with  the  other  birds, 
were  it  in  his  power." 

In  my  dream,  I  thought  the  one  who  spake  to  roe,  said, 
"I  enjoin  it  on. you  to  direct  the  people  of  U|e  country,' 
to  keep  in  their  libraries  and  reading  rooms,  three  books* 
in  use  among  those  who  use  deadly  weapons,  viz. :  The' 
New  American  Dispensa||^y,  The  Medical  Dictionary, 
and  The  Medical  Pocketbook. " 

"Lest  you  or  any  other  may  not  happen  to  find  what 
is  laid  in  the  Dispensatory,  concerning^  these  deadly 
weapons,  I  now. repeat  a  few  words  written  there."  Hf 
then  handed  m^  the  following,  page  285.  O^Nitre^  it  is 
said,  Th\8  poioerful  saltj  when  inadvertantly  taken  in  too 
large  quantities^  is  one  of  the  moit  fatal  poisonB.  Page 
288,  Oxid  of  arsenic  is  one  of  the  moBt  iudden  and  violent 
poisons  we  are  acquainted  with.  The  lancet  we  know  th^ 
use.  of,  and  also  mercury,  which  is  called  medicine, 
though  poisonous.  » 

*  The  first  book  dhows  how  to  prf pnrn  mfdloint ;  tli^  lecond 
•^plains  th«  dend  Iniijpruagei;  tht  third  dirtffti  how  much  medi- 
cine or  poison  to  give. 


■^- 


Of  Samuel  Thoinson. 


213 


I' 


As  these  are  so,  how  can  people  expect  to  be  profitted 
by  such  articles  as  are  acknowledged  the  most  deadly 
poison,  though  used  as  medicine,  in  the  most  diiRc('.!t 
cases?  Alter  quoting  these  things  from  the  Dispensato- 
ry, and  making  the  above  remarks,  I  thought  that  he 
said,  *'  Do  not  tail  to  put  them  in  mind  of  this  important 
question;  Wh^^t  mil  become  of  your  souls  another  day? 
You  must  die  as  well  as  other  men,  and  how  can  you 
answer  for  the  lives  of  those  poor  people  who  have  died 
in  consequence  of  taking  poison  from  your  hands,  under 
the  name  of  healing  medicine;  while  you  have  despised 
the  medicines  which  might  have  relieved  them;  and  es- 
pecially when  you  did  it  for  filtlw  lucre?'*  When  he  had 
said  these  words,  he  vanished,  wd  I  awoke,  and  behold 
it  was  a  dream.  * 

Fearing  I  might  forget  these  things,  I  arose  immedi- 
"ately,  and  wrote  down  the  vision  according  to  my  recol- 
lection; and,  as  soon  as  possible,  found  the  books  men- 
tionedgnid  to  my  gt'eat  astonishment,  found  every  word 
iorthelpbpensatory,  which  haMeen  related  to  me. 

The  Dream,  and  what  I  folnd  in  the  Dispensatory, 
caused  some  serious  reflections  in  my  mind.  I  said  thus 
to  rnysclf;  l^arseniCf  mercury j  and  nilre^  are  in  their  na- 
ture poison,  can  they  in  the  hands  of  a  physician,  be 
medicintt?  If,  when  taken  by  accident,  these  things 
kill,  will  they  cure  when  given  designedly?  Does  not 
mercury  go  to  the  same  part  of  a  man  when  taken  by 
accident,  as  when  given  by  the  doctor?  Surely  it  does; 
of  course  it  will  be  poison,  aiMJlW  injurious  whenever  it 
is  taken. 

These  things  are  commuiiicated  to  the  public,  that 
they  may  judge  of  them  according  to  the  evidence  given 
of  their  being  true  or  not. 


nm 


id 

I- 


214 


J^TaiTotive  of  the  Life,  ^e. 


To  rouse  the  attention  of  the  public  to  the  alarm  of 
what  is  called  the  Cholera,  and  for  other  purposes  of 
general  utility,  1  issued  one  thousand  copies  of  the  fol- 
lowing 

OZROULAA; 
VKZTZB  STATS8    BOTAKZO    OOXnTBlVTZOZr. 

At  the  request  of  a  great  number  of  the  Agents  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Thomson,  and  others  friendly  to  the  Thomson- 
ian  System  of  Practice  in  Medicine ;  by  the  recommen-  ^ 
dation  of  the  general  Agents  in  Ohio,  and  the  approba- 
tion of  Dr.  1  HOMsoN  tmnself,  a  United  States  Botanic 
Convention  will  be  held  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  the  third  ^  « 
MONDAY  of  December  next,  and  the  succeeding  day|||^ 
until  the  business  of  the  Convention  shall *be  accomplish- 
ed; at  which  time  and  place  all  the  Friendly  Botanic 
Societies  throughout  the  United  States,  are  requested  to 
send,  at  their  own  exj^se,  a  delegate  or  deltij^tes  to 
represent  them  in  said  Convention.  And  where  it  is  not 
convenient  to  send  delegates,  or,  on  account  of  distance, 
it  would  be  too  expensive,  they  are  requested  to  send  by 
letter,  post  paid,  directed  to  Messrs.  Pike,  Platt  &  Co. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  all  such  information  as  to  the  success 
of  the  practice,  in  what  cases,  and  whether  tn  any  which 
were  supposed  curable  it  has  failed;  what  improvements, 
if  any,  have  been  suppq&ed  to  be  made,  and  the  test  of 
such  improvements;  th^i^rious  certificates  which  may 
have  been  published,  printed  copies  sent  as  above;  and 
generally  all  such  knowledge  as  will  be  useful  to  be 
brought  before  said  Convention;  the  whole  object  being 
to  establish  the  System  on  a  firm  and  permanent  basis; ' 
to  raise  it  above  suspicion;  to  convince  the  world  by  its 
salutary  efficacy  of  its  practical  utility;  to  carry  its 
knowledge,  if  possible,  into  every  family;  and  to  cflllse 
the  whole  community  to  understand  that  they  no  more 
need  what  is  called  learning  and  skilly  which  too  often  is 
little  less  nor  more  than  learned  quackery,  to  teach  them 
how  to  restore  their  body  to  health  when  sick,  than  they 
do  to  preserve  its  strength  by  proper  food  when  in  health. 
To  this  end,  the  doings  of  this  Conj^pntion  will  be  made 


Of  Samuel  Thomson, 


215 


public,  and  all  concerned  may  rest  assured  that  no  pains 
will  be  spared  to  give  them  ail  the  information  that  forty 
years  experience,  yea,  a  long  life  i|i>ent  in  the  service, 
can  possibly  furnish.  It  is  expected  that  Dr.  Samuel 
Thomson  will  attend  in  person. 

ICP  The  above  named  Convention  wad  formed  agree- 
ably to  the  notice  given,  and  has  been  annually  attend- 
ed ever  since ;  and  practitioners  in  all  parts  of  the  Union 
have  sprung  up,  who  have  quieted  the  alarm  not  only  of 
Cholera,  but  also  in  relation  to  every  other  disease.  The 
following  was  added  to  the  Circular: 

N.  B Cholera Has  not  this  disease,  under  vari- 
ous names,  lappeared  in  all  parts  and  in  all  ages  of  the 
world?    Such  as  diarrhcea,  flux,  dysentery,  camp  dis- 
temper, cholera  morbus,  cold  plague,  spotted  fever,  and 
now  simply  the  choUral    These  all  produce  death  either 
in  themselves  or  by  the  antidote  usually  applied ;  though 
the  disease  may  put  on  a  milder  or  moie  malignant  type. 
Is  not  every  tree  which  prod uce9  apples,  an  apple  tree? 
Some  are  later  than  others,  but  all  ripen  in  their  proper 
season.    But  the  fruit  may  be  shakien  off,  either  by  a 
tempest  or  by  a  giant,  at 'any  time  from  blossom  to  fully 
ripe.     [Pause.]     Is  not  a  gill  of  brandy  and  two  hundred 
drops  of  laudanum  a  giant  sufficient  to  shake  all  the  fruit 
from  the  tree  of  life  ?     [Five  cholera  deaths  in  Eliot 
Street  in  one  day!]    No  simple  remedies  appear  in  the 
columns  of  the  public  prints ! ! !    And  why  ?    Not  because 
there  have  been  no  cases  cured;  for  they  are  numerous, 
which  can  be  attested  by  many  witnesses.    But  the  peo- 
ple are  blind  to  their  own  safety,  and  must  abide  the  con- 
sequences.    It  is  a  fact,  that  the  friends  and  survivors 
of  those  who  died  with  the  cholera,  from  Eliot  Street, 
have  been  to  Thompson's  Infirmary  to  ask  protection  for 
their  lives.    If  any  doubt  it,  let  them  go  to  the  Infirmary 
and  inquire.    An  author  quoted  by  Dr.  Robinson,  Lec- 
ture viif.  p.  101,  says,  "The  practice  of  Medicine  is, 
porbaps,  the  only  instance  in  which  a  man  can  profit  by 
his  own  blunders  and  mistakes.    The  very  medicines 
which  aggravate  and  protract  the  malady,'*  {one  gUl  of 
brandy  and  two  hundrd  drops  of  laudanum!!!)  "  bind  a 
laurel  on  the  Professor's  brow;  when,  at  last,  the  sick 


i 


•   ''^' 


*.-i. 


216 


^arralive  of  the  lAfe,  Sfc* 


is  saved  by  the  living  powers  of  nature  struggling  against 
death  and  the  phywcian."  The  friends  ot  the  present 
practice  in  the  casiH  of  cholera,  say,  it  was  expected 
that  the  patients  would  nearly  all  die  at  first.  What 
would  be  said  of  a  landlord  who,  having  undertaken  to 
cure  your  hunger,  should  say  that  he  expected  that 
nearly  all  his  boarders  would  starve  to  death  at  first? 
Would  not  all  the  people  leave  him,  and  even  consider 
him  an  impostor?  Who,  let  it  be  asked,  would  lik^  to 
be  takeii  forcibly  out  of  his  own  house  and  placed  under 
the  care  of  such  a  landlord — doctor,  if  you  please  ?  Bas- 
tiles  are  Bastiles,  and  Inquisitions  are  Inquisitions,  un- 
der whatever  pretence  people  are  thrust  into  them.  And 
if  a  class  of  men  shall  be  permitted  to  stamp  the  mark 
(not  of  the  ^Apocalyptical  beast^  but)  of  the  Cholera,  up- 
on whom  they  please,  and  have  them  removed  to  their 
house  of  dissection,  wherein  does  it  differ  from  the  Bas- 
tile  in  France,  the  Inquisition  in  Spain,  or  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  old  wit^cihcraft  in  America? 

Had  the  Board  of  Health  of  this  and  other  cities  pre- 
vented any  poison  of  the  Doctor,  or  tainted  meat  of  the 
Butcher,<^:  from  beinig  taken  into  the  stomach,  by  any  of 
the  inhabitants,  under  the  penalty  of  five  dollars,  to  those 
who  should  administer 'the  one,  or  deal  out  the  other, 
and  as  strictly  have  adhered  to  this  law.  as  they  have  to 
the  sauce  law  of  our  market,'  would  so  many  people  have 
died  with  the  remedy  for  the  cholera? 

Could  the  doctor  and  priest  have  frightened  the  peo- 
ple so  much  at  the  name  of  the  cholera  had  they  known 
that  the  names  of  medicine  and  disease  were  altered 
every  ten  years,  the  better  to  impose  on  the  credulity  of 
the  inhabitants,  whereby  so  many  names  for  the  same 
disorder  appear  ? 

Had  the  people  known  that  camphor  in  a  bag  around 
a  child's-  neck,  to  prevent  cholera,  would  produce  fits 
and  death,  if  eaten,  would  the  doctors  have  made  so  great 
a  speculation  in  this  article,  when  the  remedy  itself  was 
disorder  ?  [Shall  we  strain  at  the  gate  and  swallow  this 
saw-mill?]  Why  should  the  sauc^-man  be  fined  five 
dollars  for  bringing  sauce  into  the  market  in  its  natural 
state?  Can  bringing  turnips  with  tops,  peas  in  the  pod, 
or  corn  in  the  husk,  cause  the  vegetables  so  to  make 


Of  Samul  ThamMtm.  J17 

war  with  themselves,  in  coming  to  market,  as  to  make 
one  part  support  life,  and  the  otheJproduce  cholera  and 
death?  ^ 

Has  not  the  name — cholera,  been  made  use  of  both  in 
this  arid  other  countries,  for  a  speculation,  thereby  to 
enable  the  priest  and  the  doctor  to  monopolize  the  influ- 
ence of  power  over  the  people,  and  by  the  prayers  of 
the  one  and  poison  of  the  othir,  to  keep  the  peopte  in 
awe?  If  so,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  eyes  of  the  public 
may  be  soon  opened  to  these  glaring  facts,  that  oiir  fel« 
low  citizens  may  no  longer  die  with  fright  at  imaginary 
evils,  much  less  with  the  rem$dy  for  the  cholera;  for  peo- 
ple are  beginning  to  be  **  disgusted  with  dtl  learned 
quackery,"  such  as  drawing  out  the  natural  bloody 
''which  is  the  life,*'  and  filling  the  veins  with  "saline 
fluid,"  or  artificial  blood,  in  which  is  scpn  the' effect  of 
learned  ignorance,  which  is  death.  Is  there  fjfuy  pro- 
fessor of  any  art  or  science  who  cannot  do  r^r"j*thjjng  of 
what  he  professes  except  a  learned  doctor'^!!  ^^ 


•  't 


TBS  nUlonoB  of  vbvsxo 

AND    THS  J| 

^BAOTZOB    OF   BKBDIOZV: 


The  two  practices  of  Physic  and  Medicinb,  as  fl^^v 
noticed,  I  shall  treat  under  Mvo  distinct  heads,  and  n*eal 
them  in  the  order  I  have  stated,  paying  my  first  respectB  to 

TKB  FR4OTXOB  OF  FB7SZ0; 

This  is  what  is  iSientifically  called  the  depletive  (or 
reductive)  system.  To  elucidate  this  practice,  I  will 
€all|the  attention  of  the. reader  to  the  first  stages  of  sick- 
neira;  whatever  name  the  sickness  may  be  called,  or 
;whether  the  patient  be  malf  or  female,  the  tame  deple- 
19  ,     . 


it 


T^^'' 


Practiee  of  Phytic* 


tire  practiee  iff  intraduced;  such  as  bleeding,  blisfering 
and  purging  with  pHerful  physic,  such  as  calomel  and 
jalap.  Then  comes^he  laudanum  to  check  the  operar 
don  and  stupify  the  patient,  and  all  this  is  to  ease  the 
diatress  caused  by  the  physic.  Then  the  doctor  contin- 
ues with  small  doses  of  calomel,  opium,  nitre  and  cam- 
phor, until  the  patient  is  fixed  out  with  wh&t  is  called  the 
run  of  a  fever«  To  these^epletive  instruments  of  death, 
the  patient  is  compelled  to  submit;  all  his  natural  senti- 
ivela  [senses]  being  knocked  down  by  the  doctor's  death- 
maul  [depletioh] ;  and  the  patient's  friends,  who  ought 
to  be  protictors,  become  completely  stunned,  and  made 
nearly  a^leuseless  as  th%  patient,  by  the  name  of  learn- 
ing, and  ^*  the  learned  doctor;"  thus  mankind  are  cheat- 
ed out  of  ^heir  reason,  and  their  senses  are  often  reduc- 
ed below''those"9f  a  brute. 

Instead  of  driving  the  doctor  out  of  the  house  and 
thrcMgin^  his  poiion  physic  after  him,  the  friends,  in  their 
delirmm,  will  assist  the  doctor  in  administering  those  in- 
struments of  death,  till  the  patient,  the  nurse,  and  per- 
haps the  whole  family,  have  fallen  victims,  one  after  an- 
other; the  grave  becomes. the  receptacle  of  the  bodies; 
and  the  dqyetor  cbmes  into  the  possession  of  the  whole 
estate  as  b%  exclusive  and  legd^  right;  for,  it  must  be 
observed,  our  laws  are  such,  tharthc  expense  of  the  last 
sickness  and  funeral  charges  must  be  paid  first,  to  the 
exclusion  of  1^1  other  debts. 

In  all  sweeping  sicknesses,  such  as  the  cholera  for  i»> 
stance,  when  the  people  are  allowed  and  recommended 
to  keep  the  instruments  of  death  in  theii*  pockets,  such 
ao  one  gill  of  brandy,  two  hundred  drops  (cT  ^aiidanuu^ 
aiM^lixty  grains  of  calomej,  how  long  wi)l  ti  take  for  all 
9«i^  dupes  to  be  dead,  al^  these  legal  speculators  in 
iphysic  to  be  in  possession  of  ull  or  at  least  the  greater 
portion  of  their  wealth?  What  diflTerenlle  does  it  make 
what  the  plague  or  pestilence  is  eaUed,  when  the  cause 
18  physic,  ana  the  meaning  is  moi^  P'— the  doctors  want 
'm6ney  ai^d  mutt  have  it.  Remember  the*  cry* of  the 
cholera.  This,  hi  my  opinion,  was  a  scheme  of  the  doc-* 
toirs  to  dupe  the  people,  and  to  eive  the  physic  dealers 
poweir  over  them,  grounded  on  the  authority  of  the  city. 

Thede  doctora,  &,o^  are  sfyled  a  bourd  of  heakh,  (not 


« 


PraeHce  of  Pkifne. 


# 


^9 


«f  death,)  notwithstanding  their  cbplera  patients  all  or 
nearly  all  died;  yes,  died  with  chiflkra  (alias  physic.) 

For  farther  proof  that  the  objeiPih  a  great  measure, 
was  wrong,  recollect  the  fifty  thousand  dollars  granted 
by  the  city  to  the  board  of  health  (so  called),  to  cleanse 
the  city,  provide  hospitals,  and  give  the  cholera  a  decent 
reception. 

Another  scheme  to  coUeci^jmoney  from  the  people  by 
these  dealers  in  physic,  was  to  make  them  believe  that 
the  cholera  could  be  prevented,  but  not  cured.  By  this 
means  they  contrived  to  empty  all  their  old  drugs,  from 
the  apothecary  shops  into  the  pockets  of  the  people, 
whereby  they  filled  their  own  with  the  precious  metals, 
gleaning  £  little  from  every^one  weak  enough  to  be 
a  dupe  to  their  horrid  speculations.  In  this  way 
the  game  is  played;  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  and  all 
fall  into  the  ditch  together,  till  the  grave  is  full  and 
running  over,  as  at  New  Orleans,  and  as  probably  would 
have  been  the  case  in  this  city  had  not  the  cholera  gun 
been  discovered,  and  the  amnmnition  with  which  it  was 
charged,  (viz:  lancet,  mercury,  opium,  nitre,  camphor, 
blisters,  saline  fluid,  8lc.)  together  with  Dr.  W.'s  pre- 
scription as  a  preventive  [of  life]  until  a  physic  dealer 
could  be  obtained;  so  that  if  the  preventive  did  not  an; 
ewer  the  purpose  [of  death] , the  doctor  would. 

Now,  reader,  just  take  a  general  survey  of  the  calam- 
ities of  the  world.  The  condition  of  a  g^at  portion  of 
mankind  is  truly  deplorafble,  and  has  been  ever  since  the  . 
healing  art  was  lost,  and  the  plants  and  herbs  of  the  field 
and  forest  ceased  to  be  used  as  medicine ;  and  since  poi- 
son minerals  of  the  rankest  dye  were  substituted  in  their 
stead  by  Paracelsus,  who  in  consequence  was  called  a 
hater  of  mankind.  Dr.  Robinson  says,  **  Paracelsi^F  gave 
the  tartrite  of  antimony,  because  it  burnt  up  the  stomach 
and  lungs  like  hell  fire."  If  this  expression  be  true,  I 
think  it  sufficient  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  being  a  hater 
of  mankind.  In  addition  to  this  physic  dealer  and  hater 
of  mankind,  comes  Sydenham,  who  introduced  bleeding 
to  cure  disease.  These  two  plagues  being  joined  in 
matrimony,  against  the  life  and  health  of  mankind,  I 
think,  have  caused  the  greatest  plagues  that  ever  infest- 
^     ed  the  earth.    The  writer  says  that  after  Sydenham  in- 


sso 


4 


sPrmtHce  of  Pkytie. 


trodiiced  bleeding  into  the  practice  of  physic,  in  the 
space  of  one  hundnlMvears,  "  more  died  with  the  lancet 
alone,  than  all  that  fffished  by  war  in  that  time."  Stop, 
reader,  and  reflect  for  a  moment ;  and  say  to  thyself, 
can  any  being  be  so  destitute  of  common  sense,  except 
a  learned  fool,  as  to  believe  that  the  same  practice  that 
will  kill  a  well  ho^  w6uld  cure  a  sick  man;  or  that  that 
practice  which  will  cure  ,a  sick  man,  would  kill  a  well 
rat  f  For  example ;  when  the  doctor  comes  to  cui'e  a 
sick  man,  he  bleeds  him.  When  a  butcher  comes  to 
kill  a  well  hog,  he  bleeds  him. '  When  a  farmer  wishev 
to  kill  a  well  rat,  he  poisons  him.  When  the  doctor 
comes  to  cure  a  sick  man,  he  poisons  him.  Could  any 
one  believe  that  a  learneo  doctor  ever  possessed  a  hu- 
man body,  when  he  sees  him  take  the  same  niet|iod  to 
cure  a  sick  roan,  that  the  butcher  takes  to  kill  a  well 
hog;  and  also  when  he  takes  the  same  method  to  cure  a 
sick  man,  that  the  farmer  takes  to  kill  his  well  rats?  And 
what  adds  further  to  our  astonishment,  is,  to  see  those 
human  butchers  climb  onilaw  legs  to  take  the  little  pro- 
perty from  the  orphan  children  ror  butchering  their  pa- 
rent! Can  any  one  wonder  at  their  seeing  their  need  of 
law  legs,  when  their  mal-practice  is  seen  in  all  its  naked 
deformity?  Sad  dilemma!  Has  their  boasted  scientific 
knowledge  of  foiir  thousand  yearsncome  to  such  a  rotten 
and  crumbling  condition  as  to  need  the  pro)i  of  the  law 
to  support  it  Jn  its  last  dying  moments?  Farewell 
physic! 

Thus,  by  what  I  have  written,  the  reader  will  have 
some  faint  conception  of  my  views  of  the  practice  of  phy- 
sic; that  it  is  the  beginning  of  sickness  and  a  train  of 
accumulated  evils,  ending  in  poverty,  misery  and  un- 
time!|:  death.  In  consequence  of  the  foregoing  practice 
of  physic,  well  might  we  exclaim  as  did  the  wise  man, 
"Thou  fool,  why  shouldest  thoii  die  before  thy  time ?"  Be- 
cause, like  the  foolish  Galatians,  they  were  bewitched 
by,  and  ran  after,  the  name  learnings  and  a  learned  doc- 
tor, and  have  suffered  all  their  natUral  sentinels  to  be 
knocked  down,  and  the  poison  to  be  swallowed,  wfthout 
being  allowed  to  examine  or  taste  for  themselves,  until 
they  are  swept  off  like  rats;  and  that,  too',  before  the 
meridian  of  life,  by  the  physic  of  the  doctor,  and  the 


0 


Practice  of  Phytic. 


m 


# 


malice  of  those  who  kill  them  with  poison  according  to 
law;  and  at  the  same  time,  it  is  evident  that  the  doctors 
believe  the  botanic  practice  to  be  £e  best  in  the  world, 
as  the  following  particulars  will  show. 

1.  They  do  not  allow  that  any  patients  ought  to  die, 
under  the  botanic  practice.  This  is  proof  that  they  be* 
lieve  it  far  preferable  to  their  mineral  practice. 

2.  When  the  dealers  in  physic  can  get  no  relief  from 
their  own  poison  practice,  they  will  flee  for  refuge  to  the 
botanic  practice. 

These  two  witnesses  are  sufficient  to  establish  the 
fact,  viz:  that  they  do  believe  the  botanic  practice  to  be 
far  preferable  to  their  own.  The  extraordinary  cures  by 
the  botanic  practice  they  cannot  deny. 

I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  three  persons 
have  been  poisoned  by  dpsign,  viz:  Mr.  Hill,  of  Surry, 
who  died  instantly  while  going  through  a  course  of  tne 
Thomsonian  medicine;  the  blood  discharged  from  hie 
•mouth,  nose  and  ears;  he  turned  as  black  as  morocco, 
and  swelled  out  of  all  natural  form;  and  was  so  mortified 
that  the  skin  was  slipping  off  before  he  was  buried. 
The  friends  are  satisfied  that  there  was  abominable  ini- 
quity in  this  case  to  destroy  the  botanic  practice.  The 
second  case  was  that  of  Mrs.  Wheelock,  of  Swansey, 
who  was  evidently  poisoned  to  death  eleven  days  after 
Dr.  Wright  left  her.  The  third  case  was  that  of  my  owb 
daughter,  at  Washington,  N.  H.,  a  few  days  after  her 
•confinement.  She  was  taken  to  all  appearance  like  Dr. 
Frost's  account  ©f  Mrs.  Wheelock.  He  says,  ^'  She  ap- 
peared to  be  strongly  under  the  influence  of  a  deadly 
narcotic  poison,  and  fast  sinking  into  the  arms  of  death," 
In  this  condition  was  my  daughter  about  the  first  day  of 
February,  1835.  She  was  not  expected  to  have  lived 
the  day  out.  She  was  senseless  and  her  eyes  set,  and 
appeared  in  the  last  struggles  of  life.  She  just  survived 
the  aimed  fatal  blow,  and  a  shocking  salivation  followed. 
She  lost  the  use  of  her  limbs ;  her  teeth  turned  black  and 
crumbled  out.  She  was  cured  by  a  strict  Attention  to 
^several  courses  of  ray  medicine; 

|C3*  [For  Practice  of  Medicine,  and  also  the  "Coiv- 
elusion"  to  the  Narrative,  see  the  **  Chide  to  0kaUk**1 
19* 


• .?' 


To  the  IVarratiTe  of  Samuel  Thomson. 


ACORNS,  Red  Oak,  use 

Ague  and  Fever  Theory  and  Cure,    •  -  -  • 

Allegory, 

BLEEDING,  a  view  ef  it  lis  injurioue,   -  .  . 

Bleeding  of  the  longs,  practice,  •  - 

Bleeding  of  i!ie  nose,  cure,  piactice,         ... 

Bleeding  of  the  stomach,  the  patient  had  been  bled42  times 

in  two  years — Theory  of  cure — Important  observations 

on  blood,  circulation  and  bleeding, 


Paok. 
36 

-  59 
SIO 

31 

-  47 
74 


91 


Bruised  qnd  mashed  foot,  cured  in  five  weeks,!  very  bad  case,  113 
Bleeding  in  Yellow  Fever,  observations  on,  .  .  *     125 

Butternut  bark,  use  of,  an  important  case  w  Diarrhoea,  129 

Botanic  Society,  advantages  ot  membership,  •  -    147 

Botanic  Practice,  the  reason  of  opposition  to,       •  -  168 

■— ,  A  nurMber  of  gentlemen,  eminent  for  their 
'  scientific  researches,  have  become  advocates  in  the  cause,  168 

— ,  its  extent  in  New  York  Stale,         -  -    174 

.  .  ,  its  spread  in  the  Southern  and  Western  Sfatesi  181 

,  the  Faculty  meanly  attempted  to  ruin  it, 
and  lo  establish  it  themselves,  •  -  •  181 

,  the  extent  of  it  through  the  Union  and  Canada,  183 


Bees,  information,             •           -           -           •            •  193 

Bath,  Jennines's,  views  of,     -            -     ,       -           -  •    169 

Bleeding,  why  injurious  in  preventing  perspiration,        -  81 

Bilious  Fever,  success  of  the  Botanic  Practice,          •  -      46 

COMFREY  and  Turpentine  Plaster,  use  important        -  20 

Out,  practice  in,          -            -            -            -            •  -      20 

Child-birth,  Dr.  Thomson's  wife's  situation,        -           •  25 

Oanker  of  the  eye.first  use  ofstoam^bath  in,            •  -      29 
Group,  Dr.  Thomson's  first  practice,  cured  by  Rattlesnake  oil,  30 

Golds,  first  stages,  use  of  May-weed,              -           -    .  >      31 

Golds,  practice  in,              -           -           -           -           •  32 
Giiiidren,  duty  of  parents  to  instruct  them  in  medical  practice,  32 

Ofaolic,  cured,  Mrs.  Reddin/^,        ....  36 

Oholic,  cured,  Mrs.  Wei herby,           -            -            -  -      37 

Capsicum,  No.  2  and  No.  3,  use  explained,          ...  44 
Gancer  relieved,  after  fashionablo  practice  had  been  unsuc-* 

ceasful,           •           -           -           -           •            -  47 

Oheckerberry  and  Hemlock,  use  in  Dropsy,              -  -48 

OoDvulj^on  Fits,  cured,     -           '      ,"           '           '  ^^ 

.Oireular,  United  States  Botanic  Convention,            -  -    214 


«      \ 


Index  to  the  NtaroHve. 


Ctneer  eured  in  thre*  weeks,  after  h«fing  been  tortured 

with  ciiuitiot,  .  ...»  53 

Cat  of  the  hind,  a  bad  eane,  eared  in  10  dayi,  after  being 

nearly  ruined  by  Dr.  French,  -  -  •  61 

Con? uUiona,  bid,  cured,  theory  and  practice,  important,     •      6*2 
Conaumplion  cured,  ....  65, 71,7S 

Consaniption,  cure,  important,  from  the  previoui  aie  uf 

Sn^iir  <»f  Lead,  -     *      -  -  -  •  86 

Coniuniition  in  the  last  staire  cured,  after  the  dootora  bad 

'left  the  patient  ns  incur^ible,  ...      88,89 

Con8um;ilioH  iind  utricture  of  the  lungs — important  case  in    . 

Gon:)equence  of  lulernal  heat  not  liolding  more  than  6 

hours,       -  -  -  -  •-  -90 

Cancer  cured,        -  -  -   .  .      •  -  •  01 

Consumption,  five  desperate  cases,  all  relie?ed  in  three 

we«k8,'June  Idl  I,  and  ail  alive  1831,     -  -  •    US 

Cancer,  use  of  Pipsiswny,  in  tho  case  of  Oen.  Varnum'slady,  142 
CypreSit  id  called  Poplar,  and  Poplar  ia  called  Quaking  Asp 

in  Washington,  D.  C.  •  -  •  •  143 

Contagion,  lo  prevent,  fiom  disease  of  patient,  by  those  in 

attendance  upon  the  sick,    •  -  -  -  145 

College,  Reformed,  of  the  pirates  of  medical  practice  in  N. 

York,  and  also  Worth in;2:l on,  Ohio,  :  •  183 

Cayenne,  important  test  of  its  purity  and  goodness,  -  •    186 

Certificate;!  and  statements  of  disease  cored,      -  -  187 

Convulsions  and   fits   from  being  confined  in  a  tight  room 

with  a  stove,  -  -  -  -  -  197 

Charcoal,  bitrniour  in  a  ti<;lit  room,  why  pernicious,  •    198 

Clergy  and  Doctors,  the  injury  the  nommunity  atlar4;e  receives 

from  iheir  conductand  practice,        -  •  •  200 

Cayenne,  taken  Internally  to  remove  external  pain,  -     150 

Consumption  and  hereditary  diseatie  traced  to  their  source, 

the  Family  Doctor,      .....  205 

Cayenne,  important  views -of  and  observations  on,    •  .    206 

DISEASB  of  the  eyes,  first  use  of  the  steam  bath,         -  29 

Decline,  cured,  -  .  -  -  -  -      39 

Decline,  relieved  after  the  fashionable  practice  had  been  un* 

Buccessfal,       -  -  -  -  -  .  47 

Dysentery  o*ired,        -  •  -  -  -  -      52 

Drowned  persona,  observations  on  .  .  .  58 

Dysentery,  t\yenty-eight  cases  cured,  •  -  -      63 

Dysentery,  theory  and  practice,      •  -  «  •  64 

^Dysentery,  preventive  i'rom  taking,  important,  -  -64 

Dropsy  cared,        .:....  72 

Dropsy,  theoiyof,        -  -  -  -  -  -      73 

Dysentery,  15  out  of  18  cases  cured,        ...  83 

Dropsy  j  cured,  -  -  •    ^       •  -  -      90 

.Dropsy,  cured  in  one  week,  .  •  •  «  115 

Dropsy  and  a  state  of  Pregnancy  cured  and  delivered  in  five 

days,  and  all  well,  .....      128 

Drink  proper  to  take  during  the  operation  of  medicine,  see 

Spoiled  Fever,  -  •      *     -  •  144 


tM 


Mex  to  Uke  AWtoIim. 


DiarrhoM,  imporUnI  ohm,  om  of  Bntternot  bark  • 

DiMisf,  to  prevent  inft»etion  from  patient,  practiea, 
Dropsjr«a  oaa«  conaUlered  incurable,  was  ao  inueh  awollen  as 

to  b«  blind,  and  bod/  and  liniba  in  proportion » 
Doloreux  Tic,  cure,  .  .  .  .     -       . 

D^aent«rv,inj«ctiona  of  the  greatest  importance,  . 

Diieaae,  Farrow*a  cane,  important  irom  the  practice, 
Diwasea  cured,  certificates  and  statements, 
Ooctora,  the  injury  ibe  commnnity  at  large  reoeiTea  from  their 

conduct  and  practice,  .  .  .  « 

Dropay,  cured  in  a  week  after  mercurial  treatment  had  failed, 

which  nearly  proved  fatal,      .... 
EMPIRICS,  what  and  who,      .  .  . 

Eyes,  di84*aie  o^',  first  use  of  steam  bath,  core,  practice,    «' 
FASHIONABLE  Doctors,  theii  eourae  of  study,  1m. 
Facoliy,  tlieciiitdor  of  some,  .  .  .  • 

Fever,  ca«e  of  a  woman's  situat'^n  from  poisonoua  medicine. 
Family  Dfictor,  the  impoaition  of,  •         \  • 

Fever,  Puerf>eral, cure,  practice,  .... 

Fashionable  practice,  the  folly  of,  ... 

Fever  and  decline  cured  after  a  enarae  of  m^reury  had  failed, 
Faahionnbitt  Doctors,  just  views  of. 
Fever,  obaervations  on,  important,        .  .  • 

Fever,  a  friend  and  not  an  enemy. 
Fever.  Bilious,  at  Alstead,  success  of  Botanic  practiee. 
Fever,  Puerpffal,  cured  after  faahionable  practice liad  been  un- 

successful,  .  .  . 

Ferer^  bilious, cure,  practice,       .  .  .  • 

Fever,  two  cnscs,  cured  in  twenty-four  hoora,  .  • 

Fits,  convulsion,  cured,       .  .  ,  .  . 

Fever,  Yellow,  theory  of,  . 

Fever,  Yellow,  interview  with  Dr  Miller  and  the  Mayor  of  Mew 

York  on  the  subject  of  this  diseaae, 
Fever,  Yellow,  cure,  practiee,        .     ,      •  .  . 

Foed^  putrid,  just  views  of,       ,  •  ,  • '  . 

Fever,  turii  of,  explained    .... 
Fever,  Yellow,  «ure  and  practice, cured  in  24  houra  . 
Fever,  observiitions  on        .  .  .  .  . 

Food,  salt  and  fieah,       .  .  •  *  •  - 

Fever  and  ajjue,  theory  and  cuve    .  .  .  * 

Fits,  convubion,  cured,  theory  and  practice   .  .  * 

Fever,  can  be  turned  in  ffom  12  to 48  houre         .  .     •   ^ 

Fever,  biliou«,curp,  practice     .  .  . 

Fever,  spotted,  syji^ptoms,  cold  and  senseles,  practiee  and  care 

in  twenty  •four  hours,  important,  two  cesee 
Fever,  typhus,  cure,  practice  .  .  ,  . 

Foot,  bruised  and  mashed,  practice,  cured  in  five  weeks. 
Fever,  Yellow,  bleeding  in,  just  views  of  and  obaervatioB     • 
Fever,  spotted,  cure  and  practice,  important,  . 

Froacn  hands  and  feet,  a  very  bad  case 
Fro«en  limbs,  theory  and  practice,  very  important 
ff«ever,  spotted,  practice,  important  ^  *  -  * 


1S9 
145 

140 
149 
160 
184 
187 

200 

48 

n 

6 

8 
SI 
26 
8S 
37 
29 
41 
46 
46 
46 

47 
49 
49 

61 
66 

66 
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58 
68 
69 
68 
.  66 
79 

90 
87 
113 
125 
128 
139 
140 
143 


Indtx  to  the  JVorrofiM. 


SS5 


FeT«r,  •p'>titd,  pmotioeofimporUinoe^drinkfAM.       • 

Fttver,  •{••tfe**!,  priotiofof^M  o«M*i  ill  two  Wtfcki  • 

F«v«r,  iii'it  .tfd,  inj«>olion«  of^reat  iinportancei   .         . 

Family  di>c(nr  ind  his  practice       •  .  • 

Faoaiiy,  their  attempt  ti»  ruin  the  Botanic  praotlri*,  &c. 

Fiti,  oaiivul«ion,  in  oon««qiM*no«  ofaiofti*  in  light  roonifl 

Food,  why  it  will  not  putrify  in  very  hot  or  cold  climatei 

Fever  mu«t  hav«  U^ouurM.  4e«.  reation  aiilgned    .  . 

GOLD  THRBAD  or  Yellow  root,  use  in  practice     . 

Oout,  ouri*,  practice  ..... 

Oout  comnt'tely  relieTpd  in  twenty-four  hnura  • 

HBMLOCK  and  oheuk*>r berry,  use  in  Dropsy 

Head,  scald,  or  Tinea  e  ipiiin,  cured  in  thr««  weeka 

He:it,  inward  and  outward,  Alc.  .  •  • 

Heat,  iritfrnti,  important  ca^e        .  .  .  • 

Hinds  and  le  't  irozen,  a  very  bad  case,  practice 

Heat,  inward  and  uulward  inversion  thereof,  important 

Hi^ad,  scald,  ... 

Hereditary  diseases  traced  to  their  source,  the  family  doctor 

INFECTION  fr  »m  patient,  to  prevent,  practice 

Injeciiinsof  great  importance  in  fevera      .  .  • 

Itch,  cure,  practice        ...••< 

Injection*  of  tfreat  importance  in  practice  .•  • 

Injections  of  the  i^reaiest  importance  in  Dysentery     . 

JENNINGS 8  Biih.  views  of       .... 

LOBBLI A.  fir:it  discovered  by  Dr.  Thomson 

Lobelia,  effects  on  boys       .  .  .  «  . 

Lobelia,  a  certain  counter  poison    .  •  •  •    ^ 

Lobelia,  description,  its  value  and  use  • 

Lobelia,  Thomson's  experience,        ;  •  • 

Lobelii,  Dr  Thomson's  Arst  idea  of  its  medical  virtues    . 

Lobelia,  second  uoe  with  success  ... 

Lobelia,  operation  explained,  also  Nos.  2  and  8  explained 

Lungs,  bleeding  of,  cure  and  practice  *  .  . 

Love  powder,  a  good  story  .  .  ■. 

Lungs,  suffusion,  cured  in  14  hours    .  «  .  . 

Lungs,  consumption,  d:c.   .  .     ,       . 

Lungs,  stricture  of,  important  case       ... 

Law  rexpecting  the  practice  of  medicine  .  . 

Lamene^is,  unuble  to  walk  for  nine  months,  cured       . 

Limbs,  frozen,. theory  and  practice  very  important 

Lobelia,  the  opernton  of,  iinportant  inrh&'imatism 

Laudanum,  taken  to  destroy  life,  cured  in  one  hour 

Lectures  on  Boianic  medicine  and  practice.  Robinson's, 

Lobelia,  3d  prcpantion,  practice  with  important  observations 

MEDICAL  FACULTY,  &c    ..... 

Medical,  regular  faculty^,  their  bad  success  in  praetice     . . 

Medicine,  enough  grows  iu  our  country  .  .  . 

Measles  and  the  effect  thereof        .' 

Midwifery,  Dr  Thomson's  inducement  to  attend  to  the  practice  S5 

Mayweed,  use  and  practice  In  the  first  stages  of  colds  31 

Medical  practice,  the  duty  of  parents  to  instruct  their  chiliren  33 


144 
146 
146 
175 
181 

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306 

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89 

89 

48 

77 

84 

90 

189 

166 

169 

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146 

148 

149 

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16 

16 

17 

87 

36 

44 

47 

63 

60 

90 

90 

104 

130 

140 

151 

153 

183 

208 

5 

6 

7 

24 


«?■ 


S26 


imdM*  to  ih*  ^oirraiMH, 


i' 


f 
<- 


If. 


Medical  adviee,  firat  application  to  Dr  Tbomaon              .  39 

Medical  practice,  important  and  Juil  obMrvallons  on  •    84 

Measlest  cured      .               t               .               .               •  3S 

Mtfasleo,  the  nature  of,  diioovertd      .       .               .  .  ^ 

Manhed  foot  cured  in  6ve  weeki         .               .                .  113 

Medicine,  a  course  of,  proper  drink  during  the  operation  .  144 

Mercurial  diaease,  opinion  whan  ilinminff  ii  indlspenmble  156 

Medical  practitinnera  in  Pennaylvania  and  New  York|  ho.  .  173 

Myrrh,  important  views  of  and  obiorvationi  on                .  206 

Medical  practice,  proposals  for  ft  revolution  of          ,  .  206 

Marsiirosemary,  use              .               .            •    .               .  143 

Medicine,  Dr  iJartnn'a  acknowledgment     .               .  .  186 

NETrLE  RASH,  theory,  praotioe,  cure,  Intporttnt        .  70 

Nose,  bleeding  of,  practice,  cure               .                »  .74 

Nose,  ulcer  on,  a  bad  case  and  cured  in  three  monthe      .  189 

Numbpalsy,  important  case,  practioe,  cure                .  .  fKff 

Nitre  taken  in  quantity,  practice  to  overcome,  Ac.            .  130 

OPIUM,  rnken  to  destroy  life,  praotice  end  cure      .  .  153 

Opium,  difficult  to  remove,  see  Fftrrow'e  eaee   .               .  184 

PHYSICIANS  and  their  praotice               .               .  .7 

Poi^sonous  Druga,  caution  to  the  pnblic              .               .  4 

Poison,  counter,  a  certain  cure                   .               «  .16 

Parturition,  the  unfortunate  practice  of  the  doctore           .  S5 

Practice,  old,  injudicioua             ,               .               .  .30 

Puerperal  Fever,  practice,  core            •                ,,             .  {^ 

Pox,  small,  practice,  cure            .                .                .  .36 

Puerperal  Fever,  relieved  after  faihiOBftble  practice,  Slc.  47 

Putrid  food,  just  views  of  .  .  .  .  68 
Pepper,  observations  on        .                .                ,                .68 

Physic,  none  to  be  given  in  the  Botftnio  practice  .  .60 
Perspiration  .  1  .  .84 
Patent  of  Botanic  practice           ....  122 

Pregnancy  and  dropsy,  cured  and  delivered  In  five  daye  .  128 

Poison,  efieels  on  the  system       .               .               .  %•  136 

Pipsiswa^,  a  case  of  cancer  cnred,  Gen.  Varnum'e  lady   .  I^IU 

Prevent  infection  from  patient,  impttrlent                .  .  145 

Poplar  and  cypress,  names  in  diiTerent  plecoe    .               .  142 

Pain,  esternni,  removed  and  practict  important        .  .150 

Philosophy  why  meat  will  not  putrify,  ko,        ,               .  206 

Palsy,  important  case,  praotlee  and  cure    .               .  .  207 

Practice  of  medicine,  a  revolution  prnpoiid             .  .206 

Parents,  the  dut^  of,  to  instruct  their  children  in  mad.  pr.  32 

Practice  of  Physic  and  Medicine                 .               .  .  217 

QUACKS  and  empirics,  who  are  and  what  .           .  .9 

Quack,  who  la      .               .                1               «               « .  46 

Quinsy,iinportant,  practice, cured  In  two  liouri      .          ■  .  155 

RASH,  cure,  practice         ....  26 

Rattlesnake  oil,  use     .                t                «                •  .'30 

Rash,  cured  .  •  ...  36 
Remarkable  caae  of  a  woman  cured,  who  waa  bedridden  10  yre.  50 
Rheumatiam  cared              .               .               66,73,150,151,169 

Rickete  cured              *              «              ^  .90 


<m 


0 


iH  hdex  U>  ike  JVomi<ive« 


SS7 


Rheumatism t  arm  useless,  cared  411  four  weeks 
SLEEPINESS,  an  ezlraordinary  care 
Steam  bnih,  first  use  of  fur  canker  of  the  eyes    .  .    . 

Steaming,  important  directions  on  the  subject  * 

Small  pox  cured    .  .  .  ^   • 

Steaming,  improvement  in  '         .  •  . 

Steaming,  observations  on    .  .  «  , 

Sumach,  observations  on  .  •  •  « 

Sprain,  ti  montlis  standing,  cured  in  ten  days    .  . 

dt.  Anlhony'R  fire,  theory,  practice,  cure,  important 
Syphillis,  one  case  ofl  and  another  of  6  years  standing,  cured 
Syphilliti,  cure  and  practice  .  .  • 

Scnld  head  cured  in  three  weeks  .  .  « 

Syphillis,  important  case  in  consequence  of  mercury 
SlDmach,  bleeding  of,  case,  observations  on  .  ^  . 

Seaming,  important,  observations  on  •.  . 

Steaming,  when  indispensable  in  mercurial  disease  .  « 

Sumach  berries,  important,        '  . 

Scrofula,  practice,  cure  and  success  of  Thomson      .  . 

St.  Anthony's  fire,  practice, cure,       .  *  . 

Scald*  head  cure  .  .  .      '  . 

Stoves,  had  consequences  of  in  tight  rooms        .  . 

Steam,  never,  in  a  tight  xoom     . 

Stoves  in  Hospital,  effects  therelVom  .  ■-»  , 

THOMSON'S  Theory,  &c.        .  .  . 

Thomson's  success  in  his  praetieo      .  .         , 

Thomson's  system  of  practice  ~   .  •  .  . 

Thomson's  system,  advantages  thereof  .  « 

Thomson,  life  and  account  of      . 

Thomson's  birth,  parentage  and  state  of  country  at  the  time  , 
Thomson's  childhood  and  stale  of  medical  practice  at  the  time 
Thomson's  first  instructions  from  Mrs.  Benton  .     l* 

Thomson's  hardships  in  early  life  .  .  '. 

Thomson  sick,  effect  nn  his  mind       .  .  « 

Thomson  called  Doctor  at  8  years  of  age   .  .  * 

Thomson,  bis  father,  religious  views  .  « 

Thogisnn's  removal  to  Vermont  .  .  . 

Thomson's  hardships,  injury  from  cut,  injudicious  treatment 
^Thomson's  sufferings  au'l  amputation  recommended 
Thomson's  arrival  in  New  Hampshire,  situation  at  21  years 
Thomson's  first  attempt  to  doctor  himself 
Thomson's  marriage,  .... 

Thomson's  inducement  to  attend  to  the  practice  of  midwifery 
Thomson's  wife's  situation  in  child  birth  .  * 

Thomson's  experience  in  the  use  and  value  of  plants 
Thomson's  situation  at  25  and  his  lesson  In  law  « 

Thomson's  daughter  ill  with  rash  .  . 

Thomson's  ^r<it  use  of  the  Steam  bath  .  . 

Thomson's  first  practice  in  croup  .  *  . 

Thomson,  first  application  to  formedlcal  advice  » 

Thomson  discovered  the  nature  of  measles  «  . 

Thomson's  reasons  for  practising  medicine        .  .      . 


ISO 
»1 


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40 
40 


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77 

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160 

160 

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198 

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9 

10 

11 

13 

14 

16 

15 

17 

18 

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19 

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22 

24 

24 

25 

25 

27 

28 

28 

29 

30 

33 

36 

40 


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mW  «  w^.u^Ah^  -_<.M' 


SS8 


Jndit  to  ike  ^arraHve,^ 


TheoMon,  the  malioe  of  fathionable  doctors  towaidf 

Tbomton^a  theory  explainifd  and  established    • 

Thomson's  practice  in  disease  and  levers 

Thomson  lost  not  one  patient  in  4  Or  5  years  pnetict 

Thomson's  theory  explained       .  . 

Thomson,  indicted  for  murder  .  .    .  « 

Thomson's  snfiorinj^s  in  jail 

Thomson's  honorable  acqilittal 

'Thomson  is  treated  with  great  ingratitude 

Thomson's  Patent,  kc. 

Thomson  and  Dr  Thornton        ... 

Thomson's  interview  with  Drs  Rush  and  Barton 

Thomson,  conduct  of  the  Faculty  towards  him 

Thomson's  enemies,  base  means  tn  injure  his  praetic* 

Thomson's  cypress  and  poplar,  different  names 

Thomson's  drudgery  in  establishing  his  practice  • 

Thoini>on's  patronage  to  Elias  Smith, 

Thomson's  system  of  practice,  extension  of 

Thomson's  success  owing  to  his  own  merit 

Thomson's  losses,  incratitode  of  those  he  had  benefitted 

Thomson's  system  of  practice,  its  utilitf  proved 

Thomson,  Dr  Cyrus,  nis  success  in  practice 

Thomson's  difficulties  with  his  agents 

Thomson's  interview  with  Gov.  Trimble  of  Ohio 

Thomson's  success  in  forty  years  practice 

Turpentine  and  comfrey  plaster,  use  in  wotinda  and  stralna 

1^0  Doloreuz,  practice  and  cure  in  two  hours 

^ight  rooms  and  stoves,  bad  eonaeque&ces  of. 

Tetter,  practice,  cure  .  .  .  ' 

ULCER,  seven  jeara'  standing,  cored  in  5  montha 

Ulcer  on  the  nose,  cored  in  3  months,  important 

Ifl^OUND,  bad,  of  the  hand,  cured  in  ten  days 

Whitlaw's,  practice  in  Europe,  observations  on 

Waterhouse,  Dr.  Profvssor  of  Materia  Medlea,  €aknbridge» 

VISION,  an  allegorv  .  . 

Yellow  root  Or  Gold  Thread,  oie 


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194 
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